International education is one of the major contributors to the UK economy as the country attracts study-abroad aspirants from all over the world. According to a recent report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), Universities UK International (UUKi), and Kaplan International Pathways in partnership with London Economics, international students play a key role in the growth of local economies throughout the UK.
Here are the key statistics in this context:
- New data shows that the international student intake in the 2021/22 academic year fueled the UK economy with a whopping £41.9 billion. The growth was incredibly impressive, increasing from £31.3bn in 2018/19 to this huge number in 2021/22. The figures represent an increase of 34%.
- The UK constituencies witnessed a growth of £58m per constituency due to the presence of international students.
- The greatest financial contributions came from students in London, Sheffield, Nottingham, Glasgow, and Newcastle.
- Every 11 non-EU international students generate a net economic impact of £1m for the economy. It equals £96,000 per non-EU domiciled student, which is a massive sum.
Notably, international students contribute to the UK economy even after accounting for their costs and dependents. These costs have an estimated economic impact of £4.4 bn on public service, but they far outweigh the benefits, leading to a total net benefit of £37.4bn. One of the reasons for the dramatic rise in the net economic impact of international students is a growing number of students choosing the UK as their study-abroad destination.
A total of 381,000 international students enrolled in the first year of UK university programmes in 2021/22, making it one of the hottest favourites for study abroad aspirants. According to the report’s demographics, London hosted 98,825 international students, Yorkshire and the Humber had 31,360 students, and the West Midlands had 29,750 students. Following closely were the Northwest (27,680), the East of England (24,835), the East Midlands (24,235), the Southwest (19,700), and the Northeast (18,715).
Apart from these numbers for England, the other UK home nations featured the statistics of Scotland with 44,085 international first-year students, Wales with 14,905 students, and Northern Ireland with 12,615 students.
If you are considering studying abroad why don’t you discuss your prospects and opportunities with experts at Lurnable’s dedicated study abroad counselling division LurnPathways?
