UK sees 14% decline in international student visa applications

By Phan Anh January 13, 2025 | 06:59 pm PT

A view of the University of Nottingham, the U.K. Photo courtesy of the University of Nottingham

The U.K. experienced a 14% decrease in international student visa applications last year compared to 2023, according to data released by the U.K. Home Office.

The report, released last week, highlighted a significant 20% drop in overall international postgraduate enrollments for the 2024-2025 academic year. The steepest declines were observed among applicants from Nigeria (65%), India (34%) and Pakistan (31%), as reported by PIE News.

Andrew Bird, chair of the British Universities and International Students Association (BUILA), attributed the downturn to recent turbulent years that have created "uncertainty" among prospective international students. Bird warned that this uncertainty could tarnish the U.K.'s reputation as a premier study destination.

Policy changes in recent years, including restrictions on dependents, have also impacted visa application numbers. The data showed an 84% reduction in applications from dependents following a January 2024 ban that limited family members from accompanying all but postgraduate research students to the U.K.

The decline in enrollments is expected to affect postgraduate programs significantly, with international students comprising 71% of all full-time postgraduate students during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Despite the recent downturn, U.K. higher education institutions had previously surpassed their international student targets a decade ahead of schedule, hosting over 600,000 international students in the 2020-2021 academic year, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.