International students have been voting with their feet! Yes, young men and women from around the world are still electing to study at UK universities and colleges. Visa conditions may have been getting tougher but that has not put too many students off from applying to continue their education in the UK.
Enrolments to higher education in Britain from EU students increased in the academic year 2015-16, according to new data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), released on 12th January 2017. In early 2016, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) reported that the number of full-time undergraduate applications was up by 0.2 per cent on the 15 January deadline in 2015.
At a time when there is now rising concern over the predicted changes to overseas student numbers when the UK does start to leave the EU, the new figures are sure to be looked at by colleges and international student accommodation providers. Homestay accommodation hosts, in particular, are always kept busy with a variety of English Language students on short course bookings as well as those staying for 1 or 2 years. Some may not have noticed any of the slight changes, which were reported in the latest statistics.
The proportion of student enrolments from the EU rose to 6 per cent in 2015/16 compared to 5 per cent in 2014/15. Those with UK college places from outside the EU remained the same as in 2014/15, at 14 per cent. Nearly a half (46 per cent) of students studying on postgraduate courses in the UK are also from outside the EU.
England has highest number of students from outside EU
It might be argued that the applications and subsequent enrolments for the 2015/16 academic year occurred before the Britain’s EU referendum and the results was known. But the introduction of the Tier 4 visa system for international students in March 2009, which increased maintenance funding levels and the cost of a visa extension, appeared not to unduly deter the numbers wanting to apply.
The number of international students in Britain, which more than doubled in the last 15 years, had continued to grow 3 – 4 per cent annually before the recent slowdown. There were 3 per cent fewer study-related visas granted in the year ending September 2016, according to statistics published by the Home Office in December 2016. This was a slightly more than the 1 per cent drop in the number of university-sponsored study visa applications in the year ending September 2015.
While the number of Indian students coming to the UK to study continued on its five year downward trend, students from China far exceeded all other nationalities with a significant increase in numbers. The HESE data, gathered from all publicly funded Higher Education Institutions shows that England has the highest number of students from outside the EU at 14 per cent while Scotland has the highest number of students from within the EU (not including UK) at 9 per cent.
Drop in the pound works in favour of international students
It’s not unlikely that the number of student applications and subsequent enrolments will remain roughly the same for 2016/17. Despite of the EU referendum result in June 2016, which saw the value of the pound fall by 8 per cent, many universities and colleges said they had no plans to raise their currently published tuition fees for 2016/17 to cover any exchange rate losses. Of course, the drop in the pound actually works financially in favour of students from abroad, with 90 per cent in a recent ComRes survey saying they were definitely more drawn to studying in the UK because the courses were now cheaper!
The good news of the slight rise in international student numbers seems to indicate a more “let’s wait and see” attitude. But there are other factors, such as the rise in UK inflation, having crept up to the current 1.6 per cent and predicted by the Bank of England to hit 2.7 per cent next year. Will we see university halls of residence putting their tariffs up? Private landlords and high street estate agents are never slow to raise the rent, which can automatically rise every year, anyway.
Homestay accommodation providers may be one of the few affordable, quality options as established hosts strive to maintain their level of service to international students. As 2017 progresses and becomes 2018, Brexit will be sure to gain momentum. In London and other university towns, homeowners with a spare room will be seriously thinking about offering a young student from abroad with what is already an increasingly rare commodity – a great place to stay whilst studying.