UK IMMIGRATION NEWS

UK increasingly popular with overseas and local students

Friday, 7 March 2008

Everybody wants to study in the UK, or so it seems, as a recent report showed that there's been an almost 7% (over 26,000) increase in applications to UK universities and colleges in 2008.

The study, conducted by UCAS, a group who's responsible for administrating applications to British institutions, has further revealed that overseas students have also picked up on this trend, as the number of applications from abroad has risen by 8.8%.

The reason why international student numbers are increasing is because more and more young people are seeking a globalised and better education, one they believe will prepare them for the kind of independent study that UK universities demand.

This motive goes hand in hand with that of UK academic institutions, which recognise the financial and academic benefits of recruiting from overseas.

The trend has been encouraged by government initiatives to boost the number of foreign students, including investment of more than £27m over the past two years.

Bulgarian applicants were responsible for the largest portion of the rise. They've doubled from 400 to over 800.

There were also noticeable increases in the number of applicants from China, Norway, Canada, and Lithuania, and all home nations also showed an increase in applicants.

He also said that these figures provide an encouraging indication for the likely position in the summer and that thousands more applications are expected between now and then.

In general, further education colleges in the UK enrol about 80,000 international students a year.

In a move which emphasises the UK’s position as global leader in international education, the Brighton Study Centre, a new £30 million facility purpose-built exclusively for international students, has recently been opened.

The world’s largest purpose-built facility for international students, the Brighton Study Centre houses the Study Group UK Headquarters, Embassy CES language school and Bellerbys College.

If you would like to study in the UK, you can find out for which Student Visa you qualify for by doing our free online visa eligibility assessment, which will deliver almost instant results!