'Be very careful': UK colleges warn amid 16% drop in foreign student visas

Between July and September 2024, 263,400 sponsored study visa applications were submitted

The  United Kingdom (UK) has recorded a 16% drop in international student visa applications between July and September 2024, sparking concerns about the future of its higher education sector. Home Office figures released on Friday show that the number of applications fell from 312,500 in the same period last year to 263,400 this summer.

The UK has long been a top destination for higher education, with three of the top 10 global universities located in the UK, according to the World University Rankings 2025 by Times Higher Education. However, the appetite among foreign students for these prestigious institutions appears to be waning.

 

The decrease in applications has been linked to changes in immigration policies, particularly a rule introduced by the previous government, which limits international students from bringing family members unless they are on research-based courses or government-backed scholarships. This rule has led 89% drop in visa applications for family members of students, with only 6,700 applications this year, compared to 59,900 last summer. These changes, introduced by Rishi Sunak’s government in an effort to reduce immigration, have been blamed for making the UK a less appealing study destination for international students.

Financial implications for UK universities

The decline in international student numbers has raised concerns within the UK’s higher education sector, which relies heavily on fees from overseas students. Universities UK, representing 140 institutions, acknowledged that the figures reflect a “very challenging” environment for student recruitment. Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), told BBC, "The numbers confirm our fear that the previous government’s changes have made the UK a less attractive study destination."

In a report published on the BBC, Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), expressed further concern, calling for the Labour government to reverse these visa restrictions. She urged the government to "lift Tory visa restrictions as a first step towards stabilising our universities and rebuilding Britain."

The government's stance

A Home Office spokesperson defended the government's stance, saying that while the UK values the contribution of legal migration, it needs to be controlled through a fair system. The government’s efforts to reduce immigration have been well-documented, but their impact on higher education could have unintended consequences.

Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, warned of the potential for a “serious overcorrection” as the result of recent immigration policies. She told BBC Radio 4 in July, “If they want to cool things down, that’s one thing, but it seems to me that through a combination of rhetoric and policy changes, they have really turned a whole bunch of people off that would otherwise have come to the UK.”

Some universities, including York, part of the elite Russell Group, have had to lower their entry requirements in order to maintain their intake of international students" Stern said.

"You have to restore the link between tuition fees and inflation," she said.

"The government needs to be very careful,” she added, warning of the risk of a policy misstep.

The reliance on international fees

UK universities have been increasingly reliant on non-EU students to balance their budgets, as domestic tuition fees of £9,250 per year have been effectively frozen for a decade. Fees from non-EU students now account for nearly 20% of the sector’s income. With fewer international students applying, many institutions may struggle financially.

Universities are particularly concerned about the drop in applications from key countries like Nigeria and India. Early indications suggest that enrolments may have fallen by more than a third from these countries, which have been crucial sources of international students.

Are Indian students still going to the UK?

Despite the overall decline in visa applications, Indian students continue to apply to UK universities in large numbers. According to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) released in August, India was the leading source of overseas students in 2022-23, accounting for 26% of all non-EU students.

The number of students from India has grown by 145,650 over the past five years, largely due to the Graduate Route visa, which allows students to stay in the UK for up to two years after graduation to seek employment. This route remains popular and has been endorsed by the new Labour government as part of their efforts to support the higher education sector.