Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the number of international academics and students coming to the UK; and what assessment she has made of the impact of those trends on university funding in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 academic year.

The UK is home to some of the world’s top universities, who benefit from strong international ties, so much so that 55 current and recent world leaders have received their education from the UK and four out of the top 10 universities globally are in the UK.

The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education (HE) sector and their positive impact on our society as a whole.

The government has been successful in delivering the International Education Strategy ambition of hosting at least 600,000 students per year by 2030 for the last two years. The department aims to continue to attract students from around the world to benefit from British HE.

The changes to student visas announced on 23 May 2023 strike the right balance between acting decisively on migration while protecting the UK’s position as a world-leader in higher education. The changes are available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-05-23/HCWS800. The offer to international students remains very competitive and the department is committed to ensuring the UK remains a destination of choice for international students from across the globe. That is why, on 23 May 2023, the department reaffirmed its commitment to the International Education Strategy, which is vital for ensuring that the UK remains competitive in the global HE market.

The UK is expected to remain an attractive destination for students and academics from overseas in the future.