Although China continues to be the top source of foreign students in the UK and at British institutions, the recent numbers from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show an increase in the number of Indian international students enrolled in British universities in 2020-21.
Though their enrollment is not as great as that of Chinese students, India is on a steady growth trend, according to the most recent data. Despite the fact that a pandemic is sweeping the planet, the presence of Indian overseas students at UK colleges is expanding. The number of first-year Indian international students has increased by 27%, from 41,815 in 2019-20 to 53,015 in 2020-21, accounting for 19% of all non-EU enrolments.
While China continues to lead in terms of student enrollments, their numbers have declined between 2020 and 21. The number of first-year Chinese students declined by 5%, from 104,240 in 2019-20 to 99,160 in 2020-21. UK universities are regarded for providing high-quality education for first-year students, and there are job prospects available in the UK once students complete their studies.
“Indian students also appreciate the fact that they get a chance to apply experience to their studies due to the post-study work visa. We can only see the trend increasing of Indian students coming to the UK”, said Indian National Student Association UK president, Amit Tiwari.
According to Sanam Arora, founder, and chairman of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK, India is the most natural educational partner for the UK. She went on to say that it would be in India’s best interests if the UK boosted their intake with a tempting offer.
“Post-study work rights are critical to that offer, and the results of that are already being seen in the doubling of numbers from India and I do think this increase will continue. I am excited to see what comes out of the FTA negotiations,” Arora was quoted saying.
The Graduate route was recently launched by the UK government for international students who want to continue working after finishing their education. This allows students to work or look for work in the UK without being sponsored by a firm. Undergraduate and postgraduate students have two years after finishing their studies to work or look for work, whereas doctorate students have three years.
To be eligible for a UK Graduate route visa, students must have a valid Tier 4 visa at the time of application. International students will demonstrate that they have completed the whole of their course as a student in the UK, with the exception of authorized study abroad programs or remote study under COVID-19, for which particular exceptions have been negotiated.
According to the report, the decrease in admissions from Chinese students can be attributed to a variety of factors, including students’ inability to travel due to COVID-19-related border controls, students’ afraid of spending their time in the UK studying online, or the deteriorating relationship between Britain and China.
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