New polling reveals public perception of international students

When asked, the vast majority of respondents (64%) believed the UK should host the same or more international students and only 9% of overall respondents thought that students and researchers should discouraged from coming to the UK.

The public also strongly supported the contribution international students make to the UK. The majority (62%) recognised that international students gave more to the economy than they took out, and 43% thought that British diplomacy benefits from hosting international students who leave with positive impressions of the UK after studying here, with only 11% disagreeing.

Following speculation that the government may look to restrict the ability for international students, and their dependents, to come to the UK, the polling also found:

• Only 32% of the public believed that international students should be classed as immigrants in official figures.
• Only 18% support giving preferential treatment to international students applying to ‘elite’ universities based on university rankings. 67% felt that all those who meet the visa requirements should come to the UK irrespective of the university they are applying to.
• 48% think that international students should be able to stay in the UK somewhere between 1-5 years with only 13% saying they should leave immediately.

Contrary to reported potential changes to immigration policy, the public do not place legal migration as a high priority challenge for the government, and were far more concerned with issues such as the cost of living, NHS pressures and ambulance wait times.