Are Indian students seeking higher education showing less interest in studying in UK universities? According to a recent study by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the UK’s shared admissions service for higher education, the number of UK 18-year-olds and international students applying for a place in higher education has slightly increased compared to last year.
The number of international students for undergraduate places has also increased by 0.7%, with 115,730 students applying by the January deadline.
However, a drop in the enrolment of Indian students has been witnessed during the same period. The number of Indian applicants seeking higher education in British colleges has dropped by 4%.
There has been continued demand for STEM courses. Since 2023, applications from all ages and all domiciles to Engineering and technology courses have seen 10% growth, and applications to both Mathematical sciences and computing have seen an increase of 7%.
Nursing applications have decreased across all specialisms, but particularly Adult nursing and Mental health nursing. This fall in demand is being driven mainly by reductions in UK mature applicants which have dropped by 10% (-1,600) in the last year. Today’s figures represent circa 70% of total applicants to nursing for this cycle.
UK higher education remains attractive globally, with a 0.7% increase in international applicants. The highest increases are China (+3%, +910), Turkey (+37%, +710) and Canada (+14%, +340). There has been a decrease in applicants from Nigeria (-46%) and India (-4%).
For any students who missed the deadline or are still undecided on their next steps into higher education, they can still apply until 30 June, and afterward directly to Clearing, and plenty of choices remain.
One needs to apply for a student visa as early as possible after receiving a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS) from your education provider. August is the peak month for the UK and courses start in September.