LONDON: The number of first-year Chinese students at the undergraduate and graduate levels in British universities has declined for the first time, while the number of new Indian students has reached an all-time high. This includes students enrolled for a one-year degree.
latest figures from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that the number of first-year Chinese students fell 5% from 104,240 in 2019/2020 to 99,160 in 2020/2021. In contrast, the number of new students from India increased by 27%, from 41,815 in 2019/2020 to 53,015 in 2020/21, the highest number on record. Indians represent 19% of all non-EU enrollments in 2020/21.
This is the first time that student numbers from China have declined since HESA began collecting data in the early 1990s. There are currently 143,820 Chinese students studying in British universities in all years, making them the largest number of international students. Students from India, of whom there are now 84,555 in all years, are the second largest group.
The number of Indians coming to the UK to study has risen sharply since 2018/2018 when there were 18,305 first year students.
“UK is a destination chosen by India’s students,” said Indian National Students Union UK President Amit Tiwari,
“The factors driving this are the quality of education, recognition of qualifications and, of course, the English language. Indian students also appreciate the fact that they get a chance to apply experience to their studies because of a post-study work visa. We can only see the increasing trend of Indian students coming to UK.
The two-year post-study work visa, known as the graduation route, opened for applications on July 1, 2021.
It is not known whether the decline in Chinese students is due to concerns about COVID-19 and Chinese students being unable to travel or spending a year studying online in the UK due to the pandemic, or is due to a deteriorating relationship Or not between Britain and China.
“It is wonderful to see increasing international student numbers in the UK but we need our universities to diversify recruitment,” said Joe JohnsonFormer University Minister, Prime Minister of Britain boris johnsonBrother of He told TOI: “One in three international students from outside the EU arriving from China represent a material risk to the financial resilience of the UK’s higher education system and wider knowledge economy.”
Sanam Arora, Founder and President National Indian Students and Alumni Association UK said: “We have long believed that India is the most natural partner for the UK on the international education front, and the UK can significantly increase the number of Indian students if the UK is able to provide an attractive offering. Right to post-study work is key to that proposal, and its results are already being seen as the numbers from India doubling and I think this growth will continue. I’m excited to see that That’s what comes out of the FTA talks.”
latest figures from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that the number of first-year Chinese students fell 5% from 104,240 in 2019/2020 to 99,160 in 2020/2021. In contrast, the number of new students from India increased by 27%, from 41,815 in 2019/2020 to 53,015 in 2020/21, the highest number on record. Indians represent 19% of all non-EU enrollments in 2020/21.
This is the first time that student numbers from China have declined since HESA began collecting data in the early 1990s. There are currently 143,820 Chinese students studying in British universities in all years, making them the largest number of international students. Students from India, of whom there are now 84,555 in all years, are the second largest group.
The number of Indians coming to the UK to study has risen sharply since 2018/2018 when there were 18,305 first year students.
“UK is a destination chosen by India’s students,” said Indian National Students Union UK President Amit Tiwari,
“The factors driving this are the quality of education, recognition of qualifications and, of course, the English language. Indian students also appreciate the fact that they get a chance to apply experience to their studies because of a post-study work visa. We can only see the increasing trend of Indian students coming to UK.
The two-year post-study work visa, known as the graduation route, opened for applications on July 1, 2021.
It is not known whether the decline in Chinese students is due to concerns about COVID-19 and Chinese students being unable to travel or spending a year studying online in the UK due to the pandemic, or is due to a deteriorating relationship Or not between Britain and China.
“It is wonderful to see increasing international student numbers in the UK but we need our universities to diversify recruitment,” said Joe JohnsonFormer University Minister, Prime Minister of Britain boris johnsonBrother of He told TOI: “One in three international students from outside the EU arriving from China represent a material risk to the financial resilience of the UK’s higher education system and wider knowledge economy.”
Sanam Arora, Founder and President National Indian Students and Alumni Association UK said: “We have long believed that India is the most natural partner for the UK on the international education front, and the UK can significantly increase the number of Indian students if the UK is able to provide an attractive offering. Right to post-study work is key to that proposal, and its results are already being seen as the numbers from India doubling and I think this growth will continue. I’m excited to see that That’s what comes out of the FTA talks.”
,