Accredited official statistics

Why do people come to the UK? To study

Published 28 November 2019

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2019/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-to-study

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Data relate to the year ending September 2019 and all comparisons are with the year ending September 2018, unless indicated otherwise. A more detailed annual summary can be found in ‘Immigration statistics, year ending June 2019 second edition’.

This section contains data on:

  • Sponsored study (Tier 4) visas
  • Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) by education sector
  • Short-term students

1. Immigration for study

In the year ending September 2019, there were 276,889 Sponsored study (Tier 4) visas granted (including dependants), a 16% increase of 37,510 more than the previous year and the highest level since 2011.

There were continuing and notable increases in Tier 4 visas granted to Chinese nationals (up 21% to 119,697) and Indian nationals (up 63% to 30,550) in the latest year; this was the largest number of grants to Indian students since 2011. Chinese and Indian nationals together accounted for over half of all non-EEA Tier 4 visas granted (43% and 11% respectively).

Those coming on Tier 4 visas bring relatively few dependants, with 95% of those issued being to main applicants, compared with 71% for Work visas.

Table 1: Top 51 nationalities granted Sponsored study (Tier 4) visas

Nationality Year ending September 2018 Year ending September 2019 Change Percentage change
China 98,804 119,697 +20,893 +21%
India 18,730 30,550 +11,820 +63%
United States 14,888 14,987 +99 +1%
Saudi Arabia 8,135 9,123 +988 +12%
Hong Kong 9,203 9,095 -108 -1%
Other nationalities2 89,619 93,437 +3,818 +4%
Total 239,379 276,889 +37,510 +16%

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Notes:

  1. Top 5 nationalities in the most recent year.
  2. ‘Other nationalities’ includes all nationalities that don’t feature in the top 5 in the latest year.

In addition to those coming on Tier 4 visas, there were 118,172 Short-term student visas granted in the year ending September 2019, a 4% increase on the previous year and the highest level on record. There are also large numbers of people who do not require a visa for short-term study in the UK, most notably US nationals.

In August 2019, the Home Office published its ‘Fourth report on statistics being collected under the exit checks programme’, which showed that the vast majority (97%) of those with Tier 4 visas expiring in the year ending March 2019, were known to have departed from the UK before their visa had expired.

In the year ending September 2019, Sponsored study visa applications (main applicants only) rose 13% to 258,787. The majority (86%) of these were for study at higher education (university) institutions, whose number increased by 14% to 222,047, the highest level on record.

There was also a 69% increase in Sponsored study visa applications for English language schools (to 7,580) and a 3% increase for the Independent School sector (to 13,650). There was a 9% fall for the further education sector (to 13,223).

Figure 1: Sponsored visa applications to study in the UK, by sector, years ending March 20114 to September 2019

The chart shows the number of Sponsored study visa applications by sector, from years ending March 2011 to September 2019.

Source: Study sponsorship (Confirmation of acceptance for Studies) – CAS_D01

Notes:

  1. ‘Higher Education Institutions’ relate to UK-based universities.
  2. ‘Further education’ relates to tertiary, further education or other colleges.
  3. Most of the fall in the further education sector’s Sponsored visa applications since the peak in mid-2011 has been accounted for by the revocation of licences issued to sponsors (see the user guide for further details).
  4. Year ending March 2011 was the first full year for which data are available.

The most recent Higher Education Statistics Authority’s (HESA) January 2019 report reported an 8% increase in new non-EU entrants (those entering the first year of their course), which is mirrored by a 9% increase in Sponsored student visa applications for the higher education sector in the closest corresponding period (year ending September 2018).

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.

Entry clearance visas allow an individual to enter and stay in the UK within the period for which the visa is valid. EEA nationals do not require a visa to enter the UK.

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.

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.

To apply for a Student visa or for an extension of stay as a student (Tier 4), 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.

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).

ONS publishes LTIM estimates in its ‘Migration Statistics Quarterly report’. These data provide estimates from the IPS of the number of people coming to the UK with the intention of staying for 12 months or more for work, study, family and other reasons. Estimates are available for EU, non-EU and British nationals. IPS data are not directly comparable with Home Office visa data for several reasons. See the ONS article ‘Comparing sources of international migration statistics’ for details.

In January 2019, HESA published its latest ‘Higher Education Student Statistics UK’, for the academic year 2017 to 2018. 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:

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