Despite warnings about the impact of the EU Referendum and Brexit having on higher education, the first figures for 2018 reveal that over 100,000 EU and overseas candidates have applied to take up higher education courses this autumn. These figures will undoubtedly be welcomed by institutions in the UK as they have been faced with a 2.5% drop in the number of 18-year-olds in Britain in comparison with last year, which has resulted in unprecedented numbers of unconditional offers to the candidates of all abilities.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) figures reveal that the application rates have reached a record high having increased by 0.3 percentage points to 37.1% of their peers.
However, the figure is significantly lower than the overall figure from last year. There has been a 0.9% reduction in the number of people applying to higher education, compared to 559,000 in 2017. This result reveals the fall in 18-year-old population in Britain as well as a fall in the applications from older students.
The number of overseas application has increased by almost 6,000. The number of applications from India rose by 36%, or by 1,180 students, while applications from China increased by 20% or by over 2,000 students.
Foreign students have been very beneficial to the UK, especially for the British economy. Another report has concluded that the British economy benefits from the money brought in by international students, which totals to approximately £20 billion each years.
The past few years has seen a decline in the number of Indian students coming to the UK for higher studies. Regarding the decrease in Indian students studying in the UK, Lord Karan Bilimoria stated, “The reason for the UK’s decline as a destination for Indian students is the rigid stance on immigration adopted by the prime minister (and former home secretary), Theresa May. With her target to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands, the treating of students as immigrants leads to negative perceptions in India of the UK’s restrictive visa regime: perceptions that discourage Indian entrepreneurs, highly skilled workers and talented students from even looking to get started in the UK. During my trip to India, I saw newspaper adverts from companies promoting international study in Canada, the US and Australia, but there was no mention of the UK. There is no justification for seeking to reduce numbers of international students.”
Apart from helping the UK boost its economy, foreign students, who spend an intensive amount of time in the UK to pursue their higher education, go on to spread the British culture, values and way of life when they head back home.
