international students

New figures released by Universities UK show that the number of overseas students coming to study in the UK has more than doubled in the last ten years. Whilst EU student numbers have increased by a third, non-EU students have gone up by a huge 121% since 2000.

The study- Patterns and Trends in UK Higher Education, reveals that there were 280,760 non-EU students and 125,045 EU students studying in the UK last year. Both of these represent huge increases and indeed, the report emphasises that "one of the main trends over the last 10 years has been the success of UK higher education institutions in attracting international students".

However, despite these increases, the figures show that EU students still make up just 5% of the total students in the UK, whilst non-EU students account for just over 11% of the total 2.5 million students taught in the UK each year.

Country by Country

In terms of individual countries, China remains the biggest sender of undergraduate students with over 29,000 students in the UK. To put that in context, that is three times as many as its closest rival- Malaysia which send less than 10,000. However, when looking at postgraduate instead, there is a very different picture.

On the same day that new figures revealed huge increases in international student numbers in the UK, a leading figure in Higher Education warned that politicians cannot be complacent.

Yesterday, the higher education statistics organisation HESA, released the figures for the number of non-UK students studying in Britain over the last five years. The results were startling. Between 2005 and 2010, the number of foreign undergraduate students increased by 27%, whilst non-UK postgraduates increased by a massive 37%. In comparison, UK based student numbers increased by just 5% at undergraduate level, and by less than 9% at postgraduate.

These figures show the extent to which UK universities have increased their intake of overseas students more and more each year. Due mainly to the added financial benefits that international students bring, almost every university in Britain has made a concerted drive to recruit more during the last few years.

"Redouble our Efforts"

However, there are question marks over whether this pattern will continue after visa restrictions and increased fees are implemented next year. With plans to restrict post-study work visas for foreign students, as well as the increased fees that EU students will have to start paying, leading figures are anxious about the future of international students in the UK.

As another college in England opens an accommodation block specifically for international students, we look at the growing trend for large housing developments designed with non-UK students in mind.                                                                                                                  _____________________________________________

Gloucestershire College unveiled a brand new accommodation block over the weekend to cope with the increasing numbers of international students coming to study in the area. The £1.5million development has 35 rooms and over half of them have already been snapped up for the academic year. This is, however, far from a one-off case, but actually part of a much larger trend in the UK.

The victim in one of the videos of the London riots that has most shocked the British public has been revealed as a Malaysian international student. The video shows Asyraf Haziq sitting dazed and bleeding on a London pavement, before it appears that he is helped up by one of the rioters. However, as he is being held up, another of the young rioters opens his rucksack, searches through it and pulls out his mobile phone and wallet, walking off with both of them.

The shocking scene was captured on video and uploaded to YouTube, where it has already been viewed over a million times and played on repeat on British news channels.

The Higher Education system in the UK is in a period of huge change as new government legislation is affecting everything from tuition fees to international visas. To keep you right up to date with how these changes may affect you, here is a summary of the recent developments.

International Student Numbers Expected to Double

The number of non-EU international students coming to study in the UK is expected to double in the next four years as universities look to benefit from the extra money they bring in tuition fees.

Some notable examples include Durham University which is planning for a 97% rise in the number of international students between now and 2014-15, and Exeter which expects a 73% rise.

This would continue the current trend which saw the number of non-EU students rise by 7.8%, from 2009 to 2010, with a 27.8% increase in students from China and a 20.4% rise in students from Singapore.

Brazilian Students Encouraged to Study in UK

The British universities minister, David Willetts, flew to South America last month to set up a scheme that will encourage 10,000 Brazilians to come and study in the UK. The Brazilian government would provide scholarships of up to £18,700 per student to give its brightest students the chance to study at a world class university in the UK.