The historic data of the UK’s higher education sector paints a vivid picture of stability, growth, and even enduring appeal. More recent HESA data illustrates robust demand, a huge milestone for the sector and a cause for celebration with the UK surpassing its target of 600,000 international students a decade early. However, on closer inspection this may simply be creating a false environment that not only offers a limited perspective of our educational landscape but also overlooks the geopolitical factors that have helped bolster the UK market.
The last two years have been a bumpy ride for international student recruitment. Yet, despite the many challenges, in 2020/21 the UK welcomed 605,130 international students to our campuses and in doing so hit the International Education Strategy’s 600,000 international enrolment target almost a decade ahead of the 2030 deadline.
This blog accompanies our report which outlines the main security threats that universities face, and summarises three major pieces of guidance universities should acquaint themselves with.