International student enrolment at UK universities dropped by almost seven per cent in the 2023 academic year according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
The previous academic year also marked the first time since 2016 that there was a drop in enrollment from non-EU students, with the Nigerian student enrollment dropping by over 35% from the previous year.
These numbers, published in March, are another factor to consider at a time where the UK is adding further conditions for prospective international students, despite critics about the impact this will have on higher education and the financial state of universities.
The impacts of immigration policy
For Nigerian students, immigration policy has become a major factor in their decision to study in the UK.
Yemi Soile, Founder and Head Coordinator of Nigerian Students Union UK, explained how the government’s crackdown on student visas from countries, including Nigeria, based on the claim that these students are more likely to overstay and seek asylum after their visa expires, could push prospective students to look elsewhere.
He said: “All this kind of labelling deters and makes Nigerian students not want to come to the UK when you’re labelling them, calling them suspicious that they’re most likely overstay when they finish their studies.
“These sort of things are not fair on the image of Nigerian students in the UK, so this contributes to them deciding when they want to come here.
“Imagine how many people will see that and their parents will say, ‘Oh, there’s no point going there. These people see you as this. They’re labeling you as that. We would rather take our money to where we’re valued rather than come to the UK.’”
In actuality, many Nigerians intend to move back home after their studies.
The UK is an attractive destination for Nigerian students due to its proximity to their home country, the large Nigerian community, and the job prospects an international degree offered students who eventually planned to return home.
However, Soile described student concerns over no longer being able to bring spouses and dependents to the UK on their student visa, while they are studying for a non-research masters’ degree.
He said: “It’s affected Nigerian students wanting to come here because that is also a factor they look at. It can be very isolating living in the UK, you know, while studying.
“I’m someone that studied a master’s degree. I know how difficult it is, and for these people coming over to this country to study at that level, they need the support of their family.”
Nigerians students had the highest dependant-to-main-applicant ratio in 2023, according to data from the UK Home Office, with most applicants planning to study at the masters’ level.
Between 2023 and 2024, there was a 12% drop in student visa applications overall, with almost 6.5 times fewer applications for sponsored study dependent visas.
Within the Nigerian community, their overall student visa application numbers halved from 2023 to 2024, following a 30% drop the previous year.
Soile said: “People are looking at other alternatives because of the UK immigration laws that keep changing when new governments come in place.”
Nigerian students are now looking at Canada, the United States, and Europe as places to study.
Changes in EU and Non-EU enrolment
Norm Kemp, a senior press officer at HESA said: “The trend over recent years has been an upward trend in the number of international students. We can’t at this point tell whether the dip this year is an anomaly or the sign of things to come.”
Prior to 2023, there was steady growth in Non-EU enrollment over the past 10 years, making up for the decreasing numbers of EU students due to Brexit.
Kemp said: “The number of EU students has declined since 2016, and certainly since Brexit took effect.”
The effects of Brexit include increased tuition fees for Europeans and the UK no longer participating in Erasmus starting in 2021.
Between 2019 and 2022 there was a 70% increase in non-EU students enrolling in the UK, compared to a 55% decrease in EU student enrollment.
Of this increase in non-EU student enrollment, Nigerians had 7.25 times more entrants from 2019, with 15,000 students, to 2022, with 107,000 students, while Indian student entrants more than tripled during this time period from around 82,000 in 2019 to just over 253,000 in 2022.
However in 2023 the number of non-EU entrants dropped by 7%, with the Nigerian and Indian enrollment dropping by 36% and 15% respectively.
China, meanwhile, has remained consistent in their numbers.
The impact of international events
Kemp explained international developments also can be a factor for international enrollments.
He said: “Global events can have an effect on these data.”
According to Soile, Nigerian students were strongly impacted by the difficulties experienced with their universities last year following the Nigerian currency dropping when the government changed.
He cited incidents of students being reported to the home office and, in extreme cases, having their visa revoked and being told to return to Nigeria, after they were unable to pay for their studies because of the currency change.
He said: “We dealt with over 500 cases last year through this year. We’re still dealing with some cases. This was purely a communication and lack of understanding and support for these students because some of them had this real challenge.
“This was a real challenge for them because they had that money, and then due to a fault that wasn’t theirs.”
For current and former students the UK remains an attractive option for Non-EU students based on the prestige of their institutions, the language, and the shorter time frame for a masters’ degree.
The universities themselves benefit from international enrollment which contributed £41.9 billion to the UK economy from a single cohort, and creates greater intersectionality.
A spokesperson for Universities UK, which represents the higher education establishments across the country, said: “International students are an essential part of our universities ecosystem, not just for the contributions they make on campus but also for the wider economic benefits they bring to the UK.
“They also, crucially, cross subsidise both home student places, and our world-leading research.”
Financial difficulties for UK universities
A recent report from the Office of Students (OfS) revealed a financial crisis for UK universities, with at least two in five universities and colleges expected to be in deficit this year.
OfS noted the drop in international students as a primary reason behind the economic issues.
Their data reflected the dependence on international student tuition and showed a 16% lower than expected number of international students last year.
The regulator forecasts this trend continuing into the next year and said that major reforms were necessary to change the financial tide.
Kemp states we still have to wait to see what the enrollment numbers look like next year and mean in the long term as the impact of the 2024 academic year and current events was not included in the recent HESA data.
He said: “It may well just be a one off dip in the number of international students coming to the UK. It might be the first sign of a worldwide change in preferences.
“Because at the same time, over the course of the data, many of the countries who are major source countries of international students in the UK have been working to improve and build their own universities so that international study might not be such an issue anymore.”
According to Universities UK, however, policy stability is key at this moment.
The spokesperson said: “What is needed now is a period of policy stability, to ensure that institutions are able to adapt and balance their international student recruitment, and secure their finances for the coming years.”
The Home Office and Department of Education have been reached for comment.
Feature Image: Oxford Photo Credit: Kirsten Drew on Unsplash
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