UK higher education is in crisis as a 28% drop in international student applications hits because of visa restrictions.
Applications from international students to study at British universities have slumped dramatically for the next academic year, sending higher education spiralling into a financial crisis. Home Office figures released today show that there has been a 28% drop in the number of applications for a sponsored study visa, with only 28,200 applications being lodged in June 2024, compared with 38,900 in the same month last year.
Effect of Visa Curbs on Applications from Overseas Students
This decrease in the application for student visas is very worrying, considering the fact that most of these applications were normally done in the summer months. Although the universities are optimistic that things will turn out well by September, data obtained by The Guardian indicates that the struggle for this sector is far from over. Deposits and acceptances by international students dropped by 41 percent at 31 UK universities up to the end of July, according to Enroly, a service helping international students with university enrollments.
Postgraduate and undergraduate applications hit hard.
The decline is worse in postgraduate-taught master’s courses, with a 55 percent drop compared to last year, while undergraduate numbers fall by 23 percent. This slump could be particularly worrying as many UK universities depend significantly on the money generated from tuition fees paid by international students, even as home tuition fees in England have been frozen.
Financial Blow to UK Universities
According to Jeff Williams, chief executive of Enroly, international student recruitment has been in precipitous decline since the start of the year. Should Enroly’s figures represent the wider sector, then there will be some 150,000 fewer international students arriving on campuses in the UK this autumn. This is especially concerning when considering that, in 2021–22, over 240,000 full-time international students had started their postgraduate courses, while another 104,000 were undergraduates.
Reasons Behind the Decline
According to university officials, the falling number of international students is among many factors attributed to the visa restrictions imposed by the previous government. Since January, any international students studying for a taught postgraduate or undergraduate course have not been allowed to move with family members or dependents on a student visa. That was quite a huge dent in the attractiveness of UK higher education to international students.
UK Higher Education Under Financial Pressure
The financial repercussions of this downturn are severe, and many universities are already feeling this strain. Fewer international students imply considerably reduced tuition fee revenue while also having the potential to trigger budget cuts and similar financial measures.
Universities adjust strategies.
The universities are wary and monitor application trends very closely to adapt their strategy as the situation unfolds, trying to minimise the financial blow as much as possible. Hopefully, the closest it can get to September will be in September, but right now, the data paints a picture where the current institutions of higher education in the UK will continue to feel the strain in the coming months.
Conclusion
What most people involved in UK higher education fear the most is the 28% drop in applications from international students as a result of post-Brexit visa restrictions. The financial burden on the universities is already intense, and this sector needs to evolve in light of such challenges. As the new academic year looms, the whole world is eyeing how UK universities are going to deal with such a crisis and what measures they will put in place to get international students back.
