The United Kingdom (UK) had a large drop in its intake of foreign student visas, resulting in a shift in demand for the country as a study abroad destination. According to the most recent Home Office data, applications for overseas students fell by 16% between the 2023-2024 academic year (359,600) and the previous year (428,100).
On the same note, applications for visas for student dependents decreased by 85 percent, with only 19,100 submitted. The reduction in student visa applications began after the new immigration laws were implemented in January 2024. These guidelines now prohibit students from having dependents unless they are pursuing postgraduate research or receiving government-funded grants.
The UK government has cited this shift as one of the causes contributing to the significant drop in the number of student-dependent visa applications.
“These changes have directly affected families who are planning to move to the UK with their students,” says Louise Tweedie, a partner and higher education specialist at the consulting firm RSM UK. “The restrictions have made the UK less desirable for those seeking a more comprehensive experience, including family support during their studies.”
The management of UK universities is particularly aware that their institutions will suffer greatly from the drop in international student applications.
Many institutions rely on fees from international students to pay for their domestic research and teaching. A lower customer turnout suggests that they are capable of taking significant chances of losing money.
“This is a significant income loss for the sector and will hit some institutions hard, especially those already grappling with a shift in the profile of home students,” Tweedie says. “With more domestic students registering at higher tariff institutions, many universities will have to reassess their financial sustainability plans.”
The upcoming changes in the UK government policies that are set to raise tuition fees from 1st August 2025 will present some ray of hope to universities, but for the time being, the universities will remain more and more concerned with the ongoing transformation process and long-term vision and planning to face these challenges head-on.