Since new limitations were implemented, the number of sponsored visa applications fell, causing financial concerns.
According to the Home Office figures, UK universities are facing financial difficulties due to a sharp decline in the number of international students applying for the upcoming academic year.
The 28% decrease in the number of applications for sponsored study visas indicates that the previous government’s visa restrictions are still impeding recruitment. In June 2023, the Home Office received 38,900 applications; last month, it received 28,200.
Many universities hope things will change in September because most student visa applications are received during the summer. Recent data, however, indicated that the sector will likely continue to struggle.
According to Enroly, a service used by international students to manage their university enrolment, data from 31 universities in the UK show that deposits and acceptances by international students dropped 41% as of the end of July.
Enroly reports that although undergraduate enrollment decreased by 23%, postgraduate-taught master’s course enrollment fell by 55% compared with 2023.
Since January, international students pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate degrees have been prohibited from bringing dependents on a student visa.
According to most recent data, international student recruitment for September has been declining since the beginning of the year, according to Jeff Williams, chief executive of Enroly.
Williams stated, “Our UK university colleagues are working tirelessly to continue to attract international students to their pprograms One positive note is that the intake appears to be catching up month-to-month from a very slow start. It remains to be seen where the final year-on-year numbers for September will land.”
From 2011-2022, over 240,000 full-time international students were enrolled in taught courses, and almost 104,000 undergraduate students. Approximately 150,000 fewer international students will be arriving on UK campuses this autumn if Enroly’s number is indicative of the sector.
Experts cautioned that the combination of many universities depending on money from international tuition fees and the UK’s tuition fees staying fixed in England would be problematic for the education sector.
According to Mark Corver, CEO of DataHE, a higher education consultancy, the reliance on foreign student fees is a consequence of the previous government’s inability to raise domestic tuition from £9,250 for almost eight years.
According to Cover, “It’s created a huge financial distortion that has forced universities to raise income by the other means.”
According to Corver, August’s A-level results will be critical to the institution’s financial stability. Better test scores could potentially offset the expected losses from international students.
