Today: 5 July 2025
9 August 2024
2 mins read

Sharp fall in international applicants at UK universities

Between January and the end of July, the Home Office said that overall student applications were down by 16% compared with the same period in 2023…reports Asian Lite News

The financial pressures facing universities continue to mount after the latest immigration figures showed a sharp fall in the number of international applicants wanting to study in the UK.

The Home Office’s initial figures for July found that about 15% fewer sponsored student visa applications were received last month, continuing the downward trend seen since the start of the year and following the previous government’s efforts to restrict the number of visas issued.

Between January and the end of July, the Home Office said that overall student applications were down by 16% compared with the same period in 2023.

After universities received bumper enrolments from international students in 2022 and 2023, admissions are likely to remain higher than before the Covid pandemic. But the surge in inflation in recent years has eroded the sector’s revenue from UK students, making it more reliant on the higher tuition fees received from overseas students and more vulnerable to fluctuations.

Since January, new regulations have barred most undergraduate and taught postgraduate students from bringing dependent family members to the UK with them. The latest Home Office figures confirm a steep drop, with 13,100 applications from dependents of students between January and July 2024 – 81% fewer than in January to July 2023.

August is the highest month for visa applications, and the Home Office has cautioned that it “will be necessary to see this peak in student applications in the autumn before we can assess the full extent of any changes this year”.

But an earlier poll of 75 institutions by the British Universities’ International Liaison Association found that nine out of 10 had received fewer international applications for this autumn compared with 2023.

New data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency revealed that the proportion of first-class degrees awarded to undergraduates continued to fall last year, as universities in England responded to ministerial allegations of grade inflation.

The 2022-23 figures showed that 29% of undergraduate degrees were graded as first-class honours, down from 32% in 2021-22 and 36% in 2020-21, and only slightly higher than the 28% awarded in 2018-19 before the Covid pandemic brought more generous marking for affected students.

Meanwhile, the proportion of lower second-class degrees, or 2:2s, rose to 20%, after falling to a low of 15% in 2020-21.

ALSO READ-UK govt to curb overseas hiring for tech, engineering jobs

Previous Story

UK govt to curb overseas hiring for tech, engineering jobs

Next Story

Second cop investigated over Manchester Airport incident

Latest from -Top News

BRICS must break the digital chains

BRICS nations need to build consensus, balance innovation and social justice by reinforcing the digital sovereignty of Global South, including evenly distribution of benefits through AI, writes Baidya Bikash Basu BRICS, the

G42 AI tool boosts procurement by 40%

Abu Dhabi’s tech giant leads the charge in AI-driven operational transformation with (In)Business Procurement platform. Abu Dhabi-based global technology powerhouse G42 has taken a major leap in enterprise digital transformation with the

ADX, banks launch region’s first digital bond

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) has launched the pricing phase for the region’s first distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based bond, setting a new benchmark in financial innovation and blockchain integration. The bond, issued

Saudi, Indonesia seal $27bn in deals

Saudi Arabia and Indonesia deepen ties with $27bn in agreements, boosting trade, energy, defence and pilgrimage cooperation, signalling a new chapter in strategic partnership. Saudi Arabia and Indonesia inked a raft of

UN urges investments in Syria

Rebuilding Syria requires not only emergency relief but sustained investment in basic services, economic recovery, and stability, says UN Office in Syria. A high-level United Nations delegation has called for increased international
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Terror Threat Prompts UK Travel Warning for UAE

Around 1.5 million British nationals visit the UAE every year.

Britain Makes it Tougher for Indians to Work in UK

Tougher rules were announced for students bringing dependents to the