UK Sees Surge in International Student Interest Amid Global Policy Shifts in 2025

Amid more welcoming messaging from the current UK government and political instability across the US, Australia and Canada, visa applications to the UK grew by 9% in Q4 2024 compared to Q4 2023, signalling renewed confidence in the UK.

A recent report on outbound mobility from China found that shifting policies in the US, Canada and Australia was boosting the UK’s appeal among Chinese students, who make up the second largest international student cohort at UK universities.

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Meanwhile, as postgraduate interest in the US plunged by 40% in the first two months of Trump’s second term, stakeholders are anticipating a growing interest in the UK.

The report comes as the sector awaits the government’s immigration white paper and a refreshed international education strategy expected imminently, which will have a significant bearing on institutions’ recruitment strategies.

If domestic student postgraduate enrolment continues to fall, international student recruitment will be “more important than ever” for UK institutions looking to maintain and grow enrolment levels, the report advises.

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It reveals that nearly 70% of postgraduate students in the UK came from Asia, while rapid growth from Pakistan (38%), Nepal (51%) and Ghana (20%) reflects growing diversification, another factor key to continued resilience.

In a continuation of longer trends, business and management continued to dominate the landscape for international postgraduate studies in the UK in 2023/24, comprising 40% of enrolment figures.