Indian student applications to UK down by 4%

• International applications to study undergraduate courses in the United Kingdom are slightly up despite new policies announced by the UK government


• Applications from India fell by 4%


• The biggest increases were from China, up by 3% (+910), and Turkey, which saw a 37% (+710) rise in applicants, followed by a 14% (+310) increase from Canada

International applications to study undergraduate courses in the United Kingdom are slightly up despite new policies announced by the UK government, according to the figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). For the main January deadline, 115,730 students from outside the UK applied to start in September, up from 114,910 last year – a 0.7% overall increase. However, applications from India fell by 4%.

The biggest increases were from China, up by 3% (+910), and Turkey, which saw a 37% (+710) rise in applicants, followed by a 14% (+310) increase from Canada.

In contrast, there was a 46% decrease in applicants from Nigeria and numbers fell by 4% from India. Both are target countries for overseas students, according to the British government’s International Education Strategy, which encourages UK universities to diversify student recruitment – with India, Nigeria, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia listed as the top five countries to target.

On A-level results day last year (17 August 2023) the number of accepted international students was down on the previous year by -2.3%, from 52,440 to 51,210.

There has been a continued downward trend in students from countries in the European Union coming to the UK to study, with a 3% drop in EU numbers in the latest UCAS figures. This January, they were down to 19,890, a 54% drop on 2019 figures, when the number of EU applicants was 43,560. Most EU applicants now come from Ireland, the only country unaffected by the changes in tuition fees and visa status because of the Common Travel Arrangement with the UK.