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University international-student figures: HESA/Jisc, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

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UK international student statistics

Non-UK enrolment trends across UK universities, with per-institution headcounts, international share, and five-year growth. Source: HESA/Jisc, 2024/25 release.

UK universities enrolled 685,545 non-UK domiciled students in 2024/25 (up 55% over the period shown).

National international enrolment trend

Total UK non-UK domiciled student enrolment by year, summed across tracked universities
YearNon-UK studentsTotal studentsInternational share
2014/15442,2202,315,80019.1%
2015/16443,3202,332,82519%
2016/17450,4402,378,02018.9%
2017/18469,3852,415,30019.4%
2018/19496,3352,457,28520.2%
2019/20554,3902,529,85021.9%
2020/21600,1952,747,20021.8%
2021/22675,1752,857,83523.6%
2022/23758,8702,937,26025.8%
2023/24729,8402,900,22025.2%
2024/25685,5452,863,17523.9%

Top source countries

Top countries of domicile for international students at UK universities
CountryLatest studentsChange
India146,505+695%
China143,145+60%
Pakistan48,305+666%
Nigeria38,010+110%
Nepal24,445+1963%
United States23,505+37%
Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China)15,730-3%
Malaysia11,760-31%
Bangladesh11,505+212%
Ireland9,765-11%
Saudi Arabia9,725+12%
United Arab Emirates8,850+156%
Canada8,080+32%
France7,780-36%
Turkey7,330+130%
Kuwait7,275+183%
Singapore6,790-7%
Germany6,765-51%
Sri Lanka6,120+238%
Spain6,060-16%
Italy5,960-45%
Thailand5,870-6%
Korea (South)5,115+7%
Ghana5,095+244%
Indonesia4,815+74%
Kenya4,370+95%
Taiwan4,215+12%
Vietnam3,655-13%
Switzerland3,560+7%
Iran3,465+89%
Greece3,360-67%
Cyprus (European Union)3,130-67%
Japan3,020-5%
Egypt2,945+76%
Myanmar (Burma)2,640+552%
Qatar2,515+12%
Romania2,395-65%
Poland2,365-55%
Russia2,340-45%
Norway2,295-59%
Australia2,265+18%
South Africa2,185+88%
Netherlands2,040-41%
Portugal2,015-28%
Oman1,955-19%
Ukraine1,775+77%
Mexico1,720-11%
Morocco1,715+181%
Jordan1,680+12%
Zimbabwe1,610+81%
Belgium1,605-47%
Bahrain1,345+3%
Brazil1,335-52%
Uzbekistan1,270+626%
Kazakhstan1,210-25%
Philippines1,170+38%
Sweden1,100-67%
Uganda1,070+52%
Lebanon1,065+22%
Algeria980+292%
Czech Republic955-30%
Gibraltar940+18%
Bulgaria930-85%
Azerbaijan920+11%
Austria910-52%
Colombia890-17%
Peru890+236%
Mauritius820-37%
Chile700-7%
Hungary675-61%
Brunei665-62%
Iraq640-75%
Luxembourg640-42%
Tanzania620-24%
Albania610+171%
New Zealand565+20%
Israel560+30%
Cayman Islands535+138%
Cameroon525+1%
Slovakia510-64%
Denmark500-63%
Lithuania500-89%
Zambia495+13%
Bermuda480+43%
Macao (Special Administrative Region of China)435+1%
Botswana430-12%
Cambodia365+711%
Finland345-82%
Maldives340+183%
Malta340-62%
Afghanistan320+121%
Malawi295+34%
Georgia285+46%
Latvia285-81%
Serbia270-5%
Trinidad and Tobago270-52%
Ecuador265-20%
Cyprus (Non-European Union)250+400%
Mongolia250+150%
Occupied Palestinian Territories240+26%
Libya235-88%
Sudan235-2%
Argentina225+73%
Angola210-37%
Croatia205-37%
Syria185-24%
Ethiopia175+35%
Jamaica160-9%
Tunisia150+20%
Barbados135-31%
Estonia130-88%
Rwanda125+19%
Armenia120-4%
Ivory Coast120+700%
Monaco120+85%
Kyrgyzstan115+156%
Sierra Leone110+10%
Slovenia110-64%
Bahamas, The105-28%
Seychelles105+200%
British Virgin Islands100-9%
Iceland100-44%
Gambia, The95-21%
Panama90+500%
Senegal90+80%
Mozambique85+240%
Tajikistan75+400%
Costa Rica65+44%
Dominican Republic65-13%
Namibia60-8%
North Macedonia60-14%
Turks and Caicos Islands60+9%
Belarus55-63%
Somalia55+267%
Uruguay55+57%
Congo (Democratic Republic)50+150%
Yemen50-33%
Bhutan45+350%
Laos40+167%
Paraguay40+300%
Bolivia35+250%
Kosovo35+0%
Moldova35+0%
Venezuela35-88%
Canary Islands30-25%
Guatemala30+100%
Guyana30+50%
Madagascar30—
Bosnia and Herzegovina25-17%
Montenegro25-55%
Puerto Rico25+67%
Dominica20+300%
St Vincent and The Grenadines20+300%
Liberia15-50%
Mauritania15+200%
St Lucia15-70%
Turkmenistan15-73%
Congo10—
El Salvador10+100%
Faroe Islands10-60%
Gabon10—
Honduras10+100%
Réunion10—
South Sudan10—
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha10+100%
St Kitts and Nevis10—
Togo10+100%
American Samoa5—
Anguilla5+0%
Antigua and Barbuda5-50%
Belize5—
Benin5—
Burundi5—
Cuba5+0%
Eritrea5—
Falkland Islands5-50%
Grenada5+0%
Korea (North)5+0%
Lesotho5—
Mali5—
Nicaragua5—
Niger5+0%
Niue5—
Tokelau5—
Wallis and Futuna5—
Andorra0—
Aruba0—
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba0—
Burkina Faso0—
Cape Verde0-100%
Central African Republic0—
Chad0—
Christmas Island0-100%
Comoros0—
Cook Islands0—
Curaçao0—
Djibouti0—
East Timor0—
Equatorial Guinea0-100%
Fiji0—
French Guiana0—
French Polynesia0—
Greenland0—
Guadeloupe0—
Guam0—
Guinea0—
Guinea-Bissau0—
Haiti0—
Kingdom of eSwatini0—
Kiribati0—
Liechtenstein0—
Marshall Islands0—
Martinique0-100%
Mayotte0—
Micronesia0—
Montserrat0—
Nauru0—
New Caledonia0—
Norfolk Island0—
Northern Mariana Islands0—
Palau0—
Papua New Guinea0-100%
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie And Oeno Islands0—
Samoa0—
San Marino0-100%
Sao Tome And Principe0—
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)0-100%
Solomon Islands0—
South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands0—
St Barthélemy0—
St Martin (French Part)0—
St Pierre And Miquelon0—
Suriname0—
Svalbard and Jan Mayen0—
Swaziland0-100%
Tonga0—
Tuvalu0—
United States Virgin Islands0—
Vanuatu0—
Vatican City0—
Western Sahara0-100%
Åland Islands0—

International students by university

Sort by latest non-UK headcount, share of the student body, or five-year growth. Select a university for its full enrolment trend and top source countries.

International student enrolment by UK university, sortable by latest headcount, international share, and five-year growth
University
University College London26,61051.9%+30.1%
BPP University21,86569.4%+373.3%
University of Hertfordshire19,31057.5%+205.3%
University of Manchester18,51540%+20.7%
University of Edinburgh16,23541.6%+11%
King's College London15,69038.4%+16.4%
University of Glasgow13,88035.9%+32.3%
Coventry University13,30045.1%-1.1%
The University of East London13,23049.4%+266.5%
University of Birmingham12,48531.2%+24.5%
University of the Arts, London12,38554%+15.2%
Imperial College London11,90552.9%+12.2%
University of Bristol10,90033.6%+52.1%
University of Leeds10,89031.5%+1.2%
Ulster University10,71032.5%+311.1%
The University of Greenwich10,16534.6%+99.1%
University of Oxford9,75537.2%+13.5%
University of Warwick9,47534%-5.7%
University of Southampton9,06035.1%+18.3%
University of the West of England, Bristol9,03024.8%+90.7%
The London School of Economics and Political Science8,22563.5%+0.7%
University of Sheffield7,93528.1%-28.5%
Queen Mary University of London7,90032.1%+7.2%
University of Nottingham7,70021.1%-12.5%
University of Liverpool7,49524.1%-18.2%
The University of Sunderland7,40536.5%+138.5%
University of Exeter7,36522.2%+2.4%
De Montfort University7,35531.8%+5.1%
University of Northumbria at Newcastle7,28524.5%+21.2%
University of Cambridge7,26532.2%-3.8%
Anglia Ruskin University7,16520.8%+53.3%
Durham University6,89532.6%+10.1%
City St George's, University of London6,79024.9%-5.9%
The University of Westminster6,35030.3%-2.2%
Teesside University6,14028.5%+143.7%
Newcastle University6,02522.1%-20.9%
The University of Portsmouth5,88024.5%+2.3%
The University of the West of Scotland5,78030.3%+289.2%
The Nottingham Trent University5,67516%+8.6%
Roehampton University5,56046.5%+341.3%
Queen's University Belfast5,48021.9%+30.3%
The University of St. Andrews5,37046.1%+16.1%
Birmingham City University5,05515.9%+25.6%
Glasgow Caledonian University5,04022.7%+128.1%
Cardiff University5,04016%-40.5%
The University of Salford4,97519.1%+155.1%
University of Lancashire4,89520.5%+19%
University of Bath4,88023.8%-10%
The University of West London4,79527.1%+76.9%
The University of Essex4,72533.7%-6.5%
The University of Law4,68023.7%+428.8%
University of South Wales4,56522%+43.3%
York St John University4,51037.1%+645.5%
Middlesex University4,44529.6%-20.5%
Brunel University London4,40034.6%-5.3%
The University of Hull4,40029.9%+125.6%
Sheffield Hallam University4,38514.3%+72.6%
University of Sussex4,38025.3%-26.4%
Aston University4,32522.1%+68.3%
Leeds Beckett University4,25019.1%+171.6%
The University of Strathclyde4,17518.8%-14.4%
Lancaster University4,16522.4%-23.2%
University of York4,15018.6%-9.6%
Kingston University4,12521.9%-13.1%
The University of Lincoln4,01520.5%+238.8%
University of Chester3,87528.7%+238.4%
University of Reading3,85018%-14%
The University of Wolverhampton3,81016.1%+148.2%
Edinburgh Napier University3,80027.5%+19.5%
University of Leicester3,66019.3%-17.3%
The Manchester Metropolitan University3,6459.3%+32.5%
Loughborough University3,49518.4%-20.4%
The University of Surrey3,31520.2%-31.4%
University of Greater Manchester3,19525.4%+275.9%
Goldsmiths College3,19040.3%+11%
University College Birmingham3,18047%+101.9%
London Metropolitan University3,11522.8%+173.2%
Heriot-Watt University3,07531.2%-7.8%
The University of Huddersfield2,98518.2%-9%
Oxford Brookes University2,94511.3%+5.4%
Bournemouth University2,76016.4%+4.9%
University of Derby2,71014.3%+39%
University of Bedfordshire2,70530.1%-51%
The University of Bradford2,70025.1%+68.2%
Swansea University2,68014.1%-22.8%
Ravensbourne University London2,63030.3%+565.8%
The University of Aberdeen2,62018.8%-49.1%
The University of Kent2,56516%-35.4%
The University of Brighton2,48514.3%-1.6%
London South Bank University2,45515.6%+26.9%
The University of East Anglia2,43014.3%-30.5%
The University of Dundee2,39017.8%-20.3%
The University of Northampton2,22016.4%-5.7%
University for the Creative Arts2,21014.6%+33.5%
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College2,19016.7%-27%
The University of Stirling2,16518.4%-26.7%
Bangor University2,13521.5%-4.5%
Robert Gordon University2,13014.4%-5.3%
University of Plymouth2,13011.9%+12.4%
Liverpool John Moores University2,1258.3%+8.7%
Cardiff Metropolitan University2,04016.6%+7.1%
Wrexham University1,96022.9%+240.9%
Study Group1,945100%-34.6%
London Business School1,93084.8%+5.2%
Regent's University London Limited1,83069.7%+26.6%
Royal College of Art1,82071.2%-8.1%
Regent's University London1,80081.4%+13.6%
Cranfield University1,78535.7%-16.8%
SOAS University of London1,64525.7%-33%
Hult International Business School Ltd1,61093.1%+6.3%
University of Gloucestershire1,53518.9%+204%
Buckinghamshire New University1,5308.3%+70%
Regent College London1,49016.3%—
Canterbury Christ Church University1,3553.5%+111.7%
University of Wales Trinity Saint David1,3358.7%+78%
University of Worcester1,32515.1%+23.8%
Southampton Solent University1,27014.9%-43%
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh1,22518.6%+7.5%
Istituto Marangoni Limited1,20088.6%+36.4%
Keele University1,1608.5%+45.9%
Aberystwyth University1,12012.5%-19.7%
St Mary's University, Twickenham1,08018.1%+33.3%
Glasgow School of Art1,04036.6%+18.9%
Richmond, The American International University in London1,01587.1%+76.5%
The Royal Veterinary College96537.5%+53.2%
Birkbeck College93012%-34.7%
The University of Buckingham90026%+1.1%
Kaplan International Colleges U.K. Limited88099.4%+66%
ESCP Europe Business School87097.8%+117.5%
Institute of Education85515.1%—
Bloomsbury Institute82079.2%+2633.3%
AA School of Architecture82093.2%+10.8%
Bath Spa University7902.7%+41.1%
University of Staffordshire7054.1%+22.6%
CEG UFP Limited60598.4%+28.7%
Edge Hill University5954.5%+54.5%
University of Suffolk5153.8%-43.4%
The Arts University Bournemouth50513.5%-14.4%
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine50553.4%-9.8%

Methodology & attribution

Source: HESA/Jisc (hesa.ac.uk). International = non-UK country of domicile. Figures aggregated from country-of-domicile rows and rounded by HESA to the nearest 5, so small counts are approximate. 2024/25 release.

Frequently asked questions

How many international students study at UK universities?

HESA/Jisc data (2024/25 release) shows 685,545 non-UK domiciled students enrolled across the universities tracked here in 2024/25. The table above breaks this down by institution.

Is international student enrolment in the UK growing?

International enrolment across the universities tracked here has grown by 55% over the period covered by the latest HESA data.

Which UK university has the most international students?

Sort the table above by "Non-UK students" to rank universities by latest international headcount, or by "Share %" to see which institutions have the highest proportion of international students.

How many universities does this page cover?

This page tracks HESA/Jisc enrolment data for 139 UK universities, each with its own detailed page covering the year-by-year trend, international share, and top countries of domicile.

Can international graduates work in the UK after finishing?

Yes. Graduates of any UK university that holds a Student-sponsor licence can apply for the Graduate visa (2 years for bachelor's/master's, 3 years for PhD) without needing a job offer. To stay longer, a graduate typically switches to the Skilled Worker route with a sponsoring employer.