Question on prospective international students from Andrew Rosindell MP

Question Answered on Wednesday 6 September 2017

On Thursday 20 July, Andrew Rosindell MP (Conservatives) asked the Secretary of State for Education what steps her Department is taking to promote UK higher education abroad to prospective international students.

Answered on 6 September 2017 by Joseph Johnson, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation:

The Government fully recognises the important contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education sector, both economically and culturally. We welcome genuine students and there remains no limit on the number of international students who can come here to study. The Government actively encourages study in the UK through the GREAT Campaign and through the British Council, which promotes the UK in over 100 countries, connecting millions of people with the United Kingdom.

Numbers of international (non-EU domiciled) students studying at UK universities remain at record highs – over 170,000 non-EU entrants to UK higher education institutions for the sixth year running. The latest Home Office visa data also shows that, since 2011, university-sponsored visa applications have risen by around 12 per cent.