Why do people come to the UK? To study
Updated 26 August 2021
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Data relate to the year ending June 2021 and all comparisons are with the year ending March 2020, unless indicated otherwise.
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic. A range of restrictions were implemented in many parts of the world, and the first UK lockdown measures were announced on 23 March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the UK immigration system, both in terms of restricting migrant movements to and from the UK and the impact on operational capacity.
Year ending comparisons that follow will reflect the restrictions in place during this period of the pandemic.
This section contains data on:
- Sponsored study visas
- Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) by education sector
- Short-term students
1. Immigration for study
In the year ending June 2021, there were 281,008 Sponsored study visas granted (including dependants), 10% (25,232) more than the previous year and 11% (28,073) higher than the year ending June 2019. Of the 281,008 sponsored visas granted, 165,559 (59%) were under Tier 4 rules and 115,449 (41%) were under the new Student and Child Student routes introduced on the 5th October 2020.
Figure 1: Number of Tier 4 (Sponsored study) visas granted, by month, 2019, 2020 and 2021
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02
Figure 1 shows that there were no Sponsored study grants in April and May 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants started to recover after May 2020 but remained much lower than the previous year until September 2020. From September, Sponsored study grants were consistently higher for each of the last four months of the year. This is likely to be in part due to applications and grants being displaced from April to August into later months.
Chinese nationals were the most common nationality granted Sponsored study visas in the year ending June 2021, accounting for 34% of the total. The number of grants to Chinese nationals (95,408) was 10% higher than the previous year. Chinese Nationals represent the same proportion of Sponsored study visas granted in the year ending June 2021 as the year ending June 2020, but that proportion is lower than the peak of 43% of the visas granted in this route in the year ending June 2019. COVID-19 restrictions were implemented early in China, from January 2020, and may have disproportionately affected the number of study grants to Chinese students in 2020. Before travel restrictions were implemented there had been a steady rise in the proportion of Sponsored study visas granted to Chinese nationals since 2009 when they made up only 14% of visas granted in this route.
There was a 14,349 (30%) increase in the number of grants to Indian nationals, to 62,646. Indian nationals remain the nationality with the 2nd highest number of Sponsored study visa grants. Chinese and Indian nationals together comprise more than half (56%) of all Sponsored study grants.
While many nationalities saw decreases in Sponsored study grants in the latest year, some experienced substantial increases. Nigerian nationals continue to see an increase in Sponsored Study grants compared to the previous year, increasing to a record high of 20,427, making them the third largest nationality group granted Sponsored study visas this year, an increase of 11,361 (+125%) on the year ending June 2020. This is the 2nd largest increase in numbers of grants, after Indian nationals.
Table 1: Top 5 nationalities1 granted Sponsored study visas, year ending June 2020 and June 2021
| Nationality | Year ending June 2020 | Year ending June 2021 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 86,651 | 95,408 | +8,757 | +10% |
| India | 48,297 | 62,646 | +14,349 | +30% |
| Nigeria | 9,066 | 20,427 | +11,361 | +125% |
| United States | 13,369 | 10,047 | -3,322 | -25% |
| Pakistan | 5,478 | 9,733 | +4,255 | +78% |
| Other nationalities2 | 92,915 | 82,747 | -10,168 | -11% |
| Total | 255,776 | 281,008 | +25,232 | +10% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes Vis_D02
Notes:
- Top 5 nationalities in the most recent year.
- ‘Other nationalities’ includes all nationalities that don’t feature in the top 5 in the latest year.
Those coming on Sponsored study visas bring relatively few dependants, with 89% of the visas issued being to main applicants, compared with 67% for Work visas.
Sponsored study grants to dependants increased by 81%, from 16,544 to 29,967. This was a much larger relative increase compared to main applicants, which increased 5% from the previous year. This suggests that those travelling with dependants had less flexibility to adjust their plans in response to COVID-19, and so in the period since travel restrictions began to lift globally have seen a substantial rise.
In the year ending June 2021, three nationalities accounted for more than two thirds (72%) of Sponsored study dependants: India (39%), Nigeria (25%), and Saudi Arabia (9%). Despite having more Sponsored study visas granted than any other single country, China only had 266 dependants granted a visa in this route, less than 1% the total dependants granted, and less than 0.3% of the total grants for Chinese nationals.
In addition to those coming on sponsored visas, there were 6,776 Short-term study visas granted in the year ending June 2021, 89% (53,514) fewer compared to the previous year. The reduction is similar to falls in visitor numbers and the majority of this decrease is likely due to restrictions on international travel. Not every person will require a visa for short-term study in the UK; for example, the largest numbers of short-term students are US nationals who are permitted to study whilst on a visit visa and will not be included in the number of short-term study visas.
In 2020, 37,873 former Tier 4 visa holders extended their leave in the UK, either for further study or to remain in the UK for other reasons, such as for marriage or work.
In August 2020, the Home Office published its ‘Fifth report on statistics relating to exit checks’, which showed that the vast majority (97%) of those with Sponsored study (Tier 4) visas expiring in the year ending March 2020, were known to have departed from the UK before their visa expired.
1.1 The effects of new rules on the immigration system (study)
From the 1st of January 2021, changes in the immigration rules mean that EEA and Swiss (excluding Irish) nationals require a visa to study in the UK. In Q1 and Q2 2021, there were a total of 1,941 Sponsored study visa grants to EEA students, 2% of the total for this period. This is a more modest number compared to work visas, which saw 12,168 work visas granted to EEA nationals in the same period, 13% of the total for work. However, study visa applications fluctuate heavily with respect to the academic year, and in a normal year we would expect the majority of grants in each year occurring in Q3 (July-September).
German students were the EEA nationality with the highest number of Sponsored Study grants (500) in Q1 and Q2 2021, followed by Spain (354) and France (254). Together these three nationalities made up over half (57%) of all EEA grants in this period.
1.2 Long-term trends in student immigration
Sponsored study grants remained broadly level at around 225,000 in each year from 2012 to 2018. From the year ending September 2018 to the year ending March 2020, sponsored study grants increased sharply to a high of almost 300,000. This was followed by a sharp decrease due to COVID-19, with the year ending September 2020 showing the lowest number of sponsored study grants on record. However, the numbers of students granted a visa have since recovered, and now sit at just over 280,000 in the year ending June 2021.
Figure 2: Sponsored study visa grants, year ending June 2012 to 2021
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02
1.3 Sponsored study visa applications
In the year ending June 2021, the total number of applications for Certificates of Acceptance for Study (CAS) was 232,443. This figure may understate the total due to data issues in Q1 2020 (see section 2.4 for details). A more detailed breakdown can be found in the detailed sponsorship tables.
The vast majority of visas (92%) are for study at higher education (university) institutions. The total can be broken down as follows:
- Higher education (92%)
- Independent schools (4%)
- Further education (2%)
- English language schools (2%)
- Other (<1%)
The most recent Higher Education Statistics Authority’s (HESA) student statistics report covers the 2019 to 2020 academic year, and reported a 5% increase in all first-year student enrolments in academic year 2019 to 2020, including a 23% increase in the number of new non-EU students. These statistics however relate to the period preceding the pandemic.
2. 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.
Before 2021, due to European Union (EU) freedom of movement principles, the majority of UK immigration control related to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. From 2021, unless otherwise stated, data 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 refer 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. If an individual entered the UK multiple times within the period for which a visa was valid, this has been counted as one grant in the visa statistics.
The data do not show whether, or when, an individual arrived in the UK, what they did on arrival or how long they stayed in the UK.
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.
2.1 Student (Sponsored study)
The Student visa has replaced the Tier 4 (General) Student visa as of 5th October 2020. It provides a route for students over the age of 16 to study with an approved education provider in the UK.
2.2 Child Student (Sponsored study)
The Child student visa has replaced the Tier 4 (Child) Student visa as of 5th October 2020. It provides a route for students between the ages of 4 and 17 years old to study at an approved independent school in the UK.
2.3 Tier 4 (Sponsored study)
Tier 4 (Sponsored study) provides a route for students to study with an approved education provider. It was implemented from 31 March 2009, replacing previous entry routes for study. It has been discontinued since 5th October 2020 and has been replaced with the Student and Child student routes.
2.4 Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
From Q4 2019, the method for extracting in-country and out-of-country CAS data has changed. Data quality issues identified as part of this change in methodology has meant that some cases from Q1 2020 onwards are unable to be separately identified as either a visa or extension case, and so have been categorised as ‘unknown’.
To apply for a Student visa or for an extension of stay as a student (sponsored), individuals must use a CAS from a sponsoring educational institution. Study visas applied for with a CAS are also referred to as ‘Sponsored visa applications’. Statistics relating to sponsored acceptances for study measure the number of successful sponsorship applications in the four main educational sectors: universities (higher education), further education, independent schools and English language schools.
2.5 Short-term study
The Short-term study visa (previously described as ‘Student visitor’) allows individuals to come to the UK for 6 months (or 11 months if they will be studying an English language course). Individuals with this visa cannot extend their stay. Admissions data shows considerably more Short-term student admissions from non-EEA nationals than Short-term student visas granted. This is due to many student visitor admissions being from nationalities that are not required to obtain a visa if they wish to come to the UK as a Short-term student for 6 months or less (such as US nationals).
2.6 Other sources
Until 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published long-term international migration (LTIM) estimates in its ‘Migration Statistics Quarterly Report’ (latest data available is for the year ending March 2020). The ONS are currently reviewing their methods for measuring population and migration; see their blog post for more information on the latest developments to ONS population and migration data.
In January 2021, HESA published its latest ‘Higher Education Student Statistics UK’ for the academic year 2019 to 2020. HESA publishes data on new entrants to UK higher education providers for both EEA and non-EEA nationals.
3. Data tables
Data on student immigration can be found in the following tables:
- Sponsorship summary tables
- Detailed sponsorship datasets
- Entry clearance visas summary tables
- Detailed Entry clearance visas datasets
- Admissions summary tables
- Extensions summary tables
- Detailed extensions datasets
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