Applyboard has analysed new data on international postgraduate enrolments in the United Kingdom, which paints a sobering picture for 2024/25, with the latest figures showing continued declines that reflect broader shifts in visa policy, global mobility and student preferences. The situation may hold lessons for education sectors around the world.
According to data from the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), nearly 686,000 international students were enrolled across UK institutions in the 2024/25 academic year, which represented a 6 per cent overall drop from the previous year and marked the second consecutive year of decline.
Postgraduates lead the decline
Postgraduate study remains central to the UK’s international student mix, accounting for around 57 per cent of all international enrolments in 2024/25. Yet, it was also the level that drove much of the overall fall, with postgraduate numbers slipping around 10 per cent year-over-year.
This downturn has hit postgraduate and master’s level programmes especially hard, a trend also observed in related industry analyses that indicate master’s taught courses saw steeper reductions compared with research programmes, which in some cases even experienced growth.
Several factors are behind this shift. Tightened restrictions on international students bringing dependants with them — particularly for those on postgraduate taught routes — have dampened demand from key markets with high dependant ratios, such as Nigeria and Sri Lanka, both of which saw enrolments plunge sharply.
Policy impacts and uneven demand
The UK government’s immigration policy changes are widely seen as a major driver of the downturn. Rules limiting dependant visas for most international students were introduced in 2023 and have disproportionately affected older postgraduate applicants who are more likely to bring family members.
The impact of these changes has rippled through many of the UK’s largest source markets. For example, the numbers of postgraduate students from Nigeria and Sri Lanka dropped by roughly 39 per cent and 36 per cent respectively, while other large sources such as India, Bangladesh and Ghana also recorded significant declines.
In contrast, postgraduate research programmes, which remain exempt from some of the dependant restrictions, saw modest increases, suggesting some students are pivoting toward research study rather than taught master’s courses.
UK sector surveys also point to widespread enrolment challenges: a late-2025 British Universities International Liaison Association (BUILA) survey found that 61 per cent of responding universities reported a drop in international postgraduate enrolments for the autumn intake, underscoring how institutional experience can vary from national headline figures.
A nuanced picture
Despite headline declines, there are signs of shifting demand patterns that may offer opportunities. Visa application trends suggest a possible uptick in 2025/26 enrolments overall, with forecasts indicating an increase in main applicant study visas.
Meanwhile, some parts of the international student market, including those from the US and the EU, have shown pockets of growth at certain institutions, even as demand softens elsewhere.
The diverging trends also highlight how policy and economic factors interact: currency fluctuations, perceptions of post-study work opportunities, and ongoing policy reforms all feed into student decision-making about where and what to study.
What it means for universities
For UK institutions, the current environment reinforces the importance of agile recruitment strategies that account for regional differences and student motivations. Providers are being encouraged to monitor application data closely, tailor outreach by study level and source market, and communicate clearly about changes in visa conditions and course options — particularly for postgraduate research pathways, which have shown relative resilience.
At the same time, the broader decline underscores the sector’s vulnerability to government policy shifts and global economic pressures, a challenge that many universities globally will be watching closely as competition for international talent intensifies.
For a detailed breakdown of all the latest figures, see the full analysis from ApplyBoard’s ApplyInsights here.
