The number of foreign students applying to UK universities has risen beyond 100,000 for the first time, according to the latest UCAS figures.[1]
For students applying by the January deadline, applications from the EU increased by 3.4 per cent to 43,510, and the number of international applicants increased to its highest ever number, by 11 per cent to 58,450.[2]
The rise comes after university applications from international students dropped in 2017.
Dr Richard Wilson OBE, Chief Executive of TIGA, said:
“It is great to see that more international students than ever want to come to the UK and study at its world-class universities. This is good for the individual students, our universities and the UK economy.
“UK higher education is an education and export success story. We must ensure UK higher education can compete effectively in the market for international students post-Brexit.
“The Government should also consider making it easier for international graduates to stay in the UK. The Post-Study Work Visa should be reinstated, initially for STEM graduates and other priority areas, which would enable UK businesses to hire the best available talent trained at UK higher education institutions.
“As an industry that competes on the ability of its staff, we need to be able to recruit the best and brightest graduates wherever they are from. It is the programmers, designers and artists who make ground-breaking new games.”