The study, produced jointly by the thinktank British Future and Universities UK, assumes significance as universities in UK saw declining number of non-EU students for two consecutive years after unhindered growth for many years before 2010.
The study laments the startling decline of students from key markets such as India and reports that "new enrolments from India decreased by 49 per cent between 2010-11 and 2012-13; those from Pakistan by 38 per cent; and those from Saudi Arabia by 35.6 per cent".
When respondents were told that foreign students do count as immigrants for the purposes of the government's target, the most common reaction was surprise and bafflement, the study found.
It found that three out of four Britons (75 per cent) think that international students should be allowed to stay and work in Britain after graduating from a British university.
Also Read
With international students from outside the EU making up 12.8 per cent of the UK student population, the UK public recognised the significant benefits of having lots of international students coming to the UK to study.
Nearly, 60 per cent of those surveyed also think that international students bring money into the local economy and 59 per cent says the government should not reduce international student numbers, even if that limits the government's ability to cut immigration numbers overall.
Notably, 66 per cent of Conservative voters are also opposed to reducing international student numbers, a group widely percieved to be at the forefront of anti-immigration debates in UK.
Welcoming the findings of the report, Gordon Slaven, Head of Higher Education for the British Council said, "It is fantastic to see that the UK public welcomes international students, and recognises the tremendous academic and cultural contribution they make to the UK.