Image
New analysis shows UK universities lead the world in delivering higher education overseas
UK universities are setting the global standard in international higher education, with over 650,000 students now studying UK programmes abroad – a 70% increase in the last decade.
New preview findings from Universities UK International’s The scale of UK higher education transnational education 2023-24 show that UK transnational education (TNE) is thriving, with in-person TNE now outpacing distance TNE and demand growing fastest in Asia and the Middle East.
With only 2.6% of students worldwide internationally mobile, the report also reveals how UK universities are expanding access to higher education for students in their home countries through innovative overseas provision.
Key findings include:
- 653,570 students were studying UK higher education overseas in 2023–24, across 173 providers in 231 countries and territories.
- In-person UK HE TNE provision is growing fastest, with 491,765 TNE students studying in person in 2023–24 – an +87.4% increase over the past decade, compared with +32.5% growth in distance TNE over the same period.
- Global demand for UK TNE is rising: UK HE TNE student numbers in Saudi Arabia grew by +142.2% in five years, Sri Lanka by +104.2%, and the United Arab Emirates by +88.1%. Beyond the top 10 hosts of UK TNE, several nations are rising rapidly: in five years, Vietnam has grown by +233.9%; Nepal by +107.5%; Pakistan by +103.0%; and India by +78.1%.
- In five years, Asia has seen the fastest growth of UK TNE in absolute terms, with an additional 106,415 UK HE TNE students (representing a +46.7% increase), while the Middle East has seen the fastest growth in percentage terms, a +57.7% increase (an additional 34,140 UK HE TNE students).
- The most significant growth in five years per type of TNE provision has been in students registered at an overseas partner organisation (+72.5% increase), and in students studying via collaborative provision (+58.0% increase).
Jamie Arrowsmith, Director of Universities UK International, said:
This report demonstrates the extraordinary global reach of UK universities. By making world-class education available to hundreds of thousands of students in their home countries, our universities are helping to meet a pressing global demand for higher education while strengthening the UK’s international reputation.
Jamie Arrowsmith
Director, Universities UK International
The report also shows that the number of students enrolled on UK programmes overseas is now close to the number of international students recruited to the UK. This underlines the UK’s dual strength in educating students both at home and across the world.
Further analysis, including breakdowns by world regions and UK nations, will be released when the full The scale of UK higher education transnational education 2023-24 report is published in December 2025.
Notes to editors:
- The scale of UK higher education transnational education is a report series published by Universities UK International (UUKi). Now in its tenth year, the series analyses trends in UK higher education transnational education (TNE) globally.
- This release presents findings from a summary report previewing The scale of UK higher education transnational education 2023-24.
- The summary report provides a concise overview of headline data and trends from 2023-24 and across the past decade. The full 10th anniversary report with expanded analysis will be published in December 2025.
- For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact: Emily Brown, Communications and Campaigns Officer, UUKi: [email protected].
About Universities UK International:
Universities UK International (UUKi) represents UK higher education institutions (HEIs) globally and helps them flourish internationally. To do this we actively promote UK HEIs abroad, provide trusted information for and about them, and create new opportunities through our unique ability to act at sector level. We draw on UK university expertise to influence policy in the UK and overseas, delivering information, advice and guidance to facilitate mutually beneficial collaboration between UK HEIs and a broad range of international partners.
