Report Finds Indian Students Hesitant to Apply to UK Universities

Student applications to UK universities are being deterred by the Indian students, exacerbating the financial straits of students at a time when education institutions are already struggling with strained purse strings, a new report into the stability of the higher education sector in England has found.

An Office for Students OfS analysis, out Friday based on UK Home Office figures on confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) by UK providers from 2022-23 to 2023-24, shows that Indian student numbers have dropped 20.4 per cent-from 139,914 to 111,329.

Indian student groups in the UK said the fall was to be expected amid limited job prospects and also safety concerns following recent anti-immigration riots in some cities.

"There has been a considerable decline in student visa applications from prospective non-UK students in some major source countries," notes the report by OfS, a non-departmental public body of the government's Department for Education.

"This data reflects an 11.8 per cent drop in the overall total of sponsor acceptances issued to international students and significant variation among students from different nationalities, with the biggest declines in the issuances of CAS to Indian and Nigerian students, down by 28,585 (20.4 per cent) and 25,897 (44.6 per cent), respectively," it said.

It cautions that institutions of higher learning with financial models that are heavily reliant on students from India, Nigeria and Bangladesh will come under significant pressure due to this trend.
"The number of international students from certain countries that send significant numbers to study in the UK has decreased significantly," OfS warns.

By 2025-26 we estimate a net income reduction for the sector of GBP 3,445 million, and without significant mitigating actions, a sector-level deficit of minus GBP 1,636 million, with up to 72 per cent of providers being in deficit, and 40 per cent having low liquidity," it adds.

It was to be expected, the Indian National Students' Association (INSA) UK said, given the significant drop in the number of Indian students given the government's clampdown on foreign students who will be allowed to bring along their dependent partners and spouses.

This new policy disallows the students from bringing their partners with them into the UK, and given the current economic conditions in the country and recent rioting stories, unless the government incorporates this change, the outlook for UK universities is bleak as they depend so much on Indian students, said Amit Tiwari, president, INSA UK.

Indians overtook the Chinese in recent years to emerge as the largest nationality awarded study visas to the UK and form the biggest cohort to take advantage of the Graduate Route post-study work visa, which was thrown into disarray by a review that has since concluded it is here to stay.

Many factors are responsible for the decline in numbers, including the Conservative ban on dependents, confusion around post-study work visa, increase in the salary threshold for skilled workers and an apparent lack of jobs in the UK," said Sanam Arora, chairperson of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK.

"We found the scale of misinformation that persists; for the first time, safety is also being raised as a concern… Universities need to ensure that they are communicating the UK offer adequately and at scale in India to address the confusions that persist," she said.

Universities need to make significant investments in their employability supports to remain competitive and provide a wholesome, outcome-oriented proposition for the student," she said.