Accredited official statistics

Why do people come to the UK? Study

Published 28 November 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-september-2024/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-study

Back to ‘Immigration system statistics, year ending September 2024’ contents page.

Data relates to the year ending September 2024 and all comparisons are with the year ending September 2023 (unless indicated otherwise).

In the year ending September 2024, there were 392,969 sponsored study visas granted to main applicants, 19% fewer than in the year ending September 2023 but 46% higher than 2019.

Between 2011 and 2016 sponsored study visa grants to foreign students were relatively stable at around 200,000 per year (see Figure 1). After 2016 the numbers steadily increased, reaching 268,674 in 2019. Following a fall in numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visas issued increased sharply, reaching a peak of just under half-a-million (498,068) in the year ending June 2023. The number of visas issued have been decreasing gradually since, falling to 392,969 in the year ending September 2024.

The large increase between mid-2020 and mid-2023 was in part due to travel opportunities re-emerging as COVID-19 related restrictions were eased along with changes to the Immigration System following the UK’s departure from the EU which ended free movement for many EEA nationals (excluding those with status on the EU Settlement Scheme or other indefinite leave to remain).

In the year ending September 2024 there were 46,961 visas issued to student dependants, 69% fewer than the previous year but almost 3 times higher than in 2019.

The decrease in dependants of students followed a policy change for courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, whereby only researched-based postgraduate students are allowed to bring dependants (partners and children) to the UK. In the first 9 months following this change (January to September 2024) the number of sponsored study dependent visas granted fell by 84% compared to the same period in 2023, from 114,293 to 17,978. The restrictions may also have partly impacted the number of main applicant visas granted, which decreased by 16% over the same period. Policy changes are one of a number of factors that may have impacted visa application volumes.

Figure 1: Sponsored study visas granted by applicant type, between the year ending September 2014 and the year ending September 2024

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Figure 1 shows that there was around one dependant for every 10 visas granted to foreign students in the latest year. There were sharp increases in both the number of main applicant and dependant visas granted following the COVID-19 pandemic and UK’s departure from the EU. The number of dependants peaked in the year ending June 2023 with around 3 dependants for every 10 main applicants. However, the number of main applicants and dependants have since fallen in the first 3 quarters of 2024.

Figure 2: Sponsored study visas granted to the top 5 nationalities (main applicants), between the year ending September 2014 and the year ending September 2024

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Figure 2 shows that most of the increase in foreign students between 2019 and 2023 were from Indian and Nigerian nationals, but numbers for these nationalities have fallen in the latest year (by 31% and 62% respectively). Indian nationals accounted for the highest number of sponsored study visas granted each year between September 2022 and June 2024, but are now again second to Chinese nationals, as they were between 2018 and 2022.

There were 103,995 sponsored study visa grants to Chinese main applicants in the year ending September 2024 (26% of the total), similar to the previous year. In the latest year, over half (59%) of Chinese students came to the UK to study at masters level. Indian nationals accounted for 23% of the total and the majority (80%) of Indian students were studying at masters level.

Figure 3: Student visas granted to main applicants by course level, between the year ending September 2019 and the year ending September 2024

Source: Sponsored study visas by course level – Edu_D02

Notes:

  1. ‘Other and unknown’ includes visas issued to courses below bachelors level, pre-sessional English courses, courses not able to be identified, and a small number of visas which couldn’t be matched to a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.
  2. Does not include child student routes.

Figure 3 shows that the trend in sponsored study visas in recent years has been mainly driven by those coming to study for a masters. The number of grants to students coming to study at masters level increased each year between the year ending September 2020 (following the pandemic and UK leaving the EU) and the year ending September 2023 (to 314,929), but fell in the latest year to 231,889. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of student visas granted in the year ending September 2024 were for masters level courses.

After masters, the most common level for student visas granted to main applicants was bachelors with 101,027 grants (27% of the total).

Visas for students at doctoral level or other course levels made up 12% of grants in the latest year.

2. Extensions of Study

In the year ending September 2024, 35,069 main applicants were granted an extension of their stay in the UK, allowing them to continue, or switch onto a sponsored study route. This reflects a 37% decrease compared with the year ending September 2023.

The number of study extensions is influenced by the volume and types of students entering the UK in recent years. The number of study visas issued fell in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, which may have resulted in fewer students becoming eligible for extensions from late 2023. However, the latest figure is similar to the average number of study extensions over the last 5 years (39,437).

Chinese main applicants were the largest nationality (34% of the total) granted an extension into sponsored study routes with 12,093 grants in the year ending September 2024, but there were 45% fewer extensions than the previous year.

Analysis linking the current category of leave to the previous category of leave shows that of the main applicants granted a study visa extension in the year ending March 2024, the vast majority (86%) held a study visa before their current study extension was granted. A further 9% previously held a work visa, and the remaining 5% previously held a visa in the Other or Unknown categories.

Insights from the Migrant Journey: 2023 report show that historically most non-EU foreign students have not remained in the UK indefinitely. Since 2007, 10 years after being issued a visa only 14% of the non-EU nationals who had come to study in the UK still had valid or indefinite leave to remain (compared to 23% who came for work and 87% for family reasons).

The 2020 cohort is the first in which students on any course length could transfer directly to the graduate route and take up employment. For this cohort of students, 57% still held valid or indefinite leave 3 years later, at the end of 2023 compared to 39% in the 2019 cohort and 34% on average for students arriving between 2011 and 2018.

3. About these statistics

The statistics in this section provide an indication of the number of people who have an intention to enter the UK for study reasons. Further information on the statistics in this section can be found in the user guide. Before 2021, due to freedom of movement for European Union (EU) nationals, the vast majority of UK immigration control statistics related to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. From 2021, unless otherwise stated, the statistics in this release relate to both EEA and non-EEA nationals.

Entry clearance visas allow an individual to enter and stay in the UK within the period for which the visa is valid. Data in this section refers to the number of Entry clearance visas granted for study reasons within the period. If an individual was granted a visa more than once in a given period, this has been counted as multiple grants in the statistics.

Year-on-year comparisons of the number of decisions can be affected by quarterly fluctuations in the data. These fluctuations can be examined in the quarterly data in the published tables. Year ending comparisons will also include impacts resulting from the travel restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

3.1 Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies

In order to be granted a sponsored study visa, a main applicant must get a ‘Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies’ (CAS) from their educational provider as evidence of an unconditional offer to study a course with a licensed student sponsor. Around 9 in 10 sponsored study visa applications are for the Higher Education Sector (such as universities), which has accounted for most of the growth in students in recent years.

3.2 Extension of temporary stay in the UK

Extensions of temporary stay in the UK relate to individuals inside the UK extending or changing the status of their right to stay in the UK. An individual is required to apply for an extension or change in status before their existing permission to enter or stay in the UK expires.

The statistics in this section show the number of grants and refusals on applications for extension of temporary stay in the UK. One individual may have made multiple applications for an extension, so may account for multiple decisions. Data in this section account for the outcomes of reconsiderations and appeals. The statistics do not show the number of people applying to extend their temporary stay in the UK, nor do they show how long an individual stayed in the UK following their extension.

3.3 Other sources

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish long-term international migration estimates. These are statistics under development that estimate the number of people immigrating to and emigrating from the UK for 12 months or more.

In August 2024, HESA published its latest ‘Higher Education Student Statistics UK’ for the academic year 2022 to 2023. HESA publishes data on new entrants to UK higher education providers for both EEA and non-EEA nationals.

In December 2023, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published their fourth annual report. This report includes analysis of how the immigration system is being used within and across the nations of the UK.

4. Data tables

Data on student immigration can be found in the following tables:

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