International Facts and Figures 2021

In 2019-20, 538,615 international students were studying at UK higher education institutions, making up 27.5% of the total student population in the UK; 15.7% of all undergraduates and 40.3% of all postgraduates.

On average, international students made a £40m net economic contribution to the UK economy per parliamentary constituency, which is equivalent to £390 per member of the resident population (after all costs have been accounted for).

In 2019-20, 92,440 international staff worked at UK HEIs, demonstrating an increase of 17.5% since 2015–16. 20.9% of all staff at UK universities are international.

In 2019-20, 59.3% of UK publications were the result of international collaboration, compared to 39.8% in 2010–11. The UK’s field-weighted citation impact (FWCI) has ranked 1st in the G7 every year since 2007.

In 2019-20, 453,390 students were studying for a UK degree overseas. More UK universities than ever, 156, were delivering UK TNE in 2019-20.

In 2019-20, 36,225 students had a period of mobility as part of their degree. 1.5% of the total UK student population had a period of mobility during the 2019-20 academic year.