The statistics show that in recent years the number of Indian students in British universities has increased significantly, while the number of Europeans decreased markedly after the UK left the EU. According to some experts, these trends can have both positive and negative consequences, writes The Economist.
While six years ago only a few hundred Indian nationals attended classes at the University of East London (UEL), a former polytechnic with campuses in Stratford and Docklands, by last year their number had exceeded 6,000. As a result, people from India now make up about a quarter of the university’s total student body. And similar trends can be seen at other institutions, reports The Economist.
Statistics show that universities across the U.K. have experienced a surge in applications from India, Nigeria and other far-flung countries in recent years, while the number of students from Europe has declined sharply. Between 2017 and 2021, in particular, there was about a six-fold increase in the number of Indians taking new courses in the U.K., according to the article.
Data on the number of study visas issued also show that by last year, India had pushed China out of the lead and took the top spot in the number of students sent to the U.K. Thanks to this, the newly arrived foreign students more than made up for the sharp decline in European applicants after Britain left the EU, notes The Economist.
This was partly due to changes in visa rules, the article explains. In addition, Brexit ended arrangements under which EU students used to be able to pay for their tuition at the intra-British level rather than on terms for foreigners.
And while Chinese nationals now tend to study at the more prestigious and expensive British universities, Indian students are looking at a wider range of options. In addition, it is mainly postgraduate students from India who come, accounting for up to three-quarters of the total number of applicants.
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