TOI correspondent from London:The number of Indian students going to study at British universities has fallen by 20% amid a worrying drop in international students generally, which is posing a grave risk to the financial stability of the sector. The education sector relies heavily on the higher fees paid by international students.The recent UK riots and poor job prospects are among the reasons seen as responsible for the fall in Indian students.The Office for Students, the regulator of UK higher education, published a report on Friday which showed that students from India have seen the largest decrease, with Indian students falling from 139,914 in 2022-23 to 111,329 in 2023-24, a fall of 28,585 (20.4%).Nigerian students are down 25,897 (44.6%) to 32,192, and students from Bangladesh are down 5,202 (41.2%) to 7,425There has been an 11.8% decline in the total number of “Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies” granted to international students between 2034 and 2024 compared to the previous year.There were 16% fewer visa applications from international students between January 2024 and September 2024 compared to 2023.Increased employer national insurance contributions in the recent budget and below forecast recruitment of UK undergraduates are also creating a hole in university finances.The report estimates that by 2025-26 the annual income for UK universities will be down by £3.4 billion and the sector will see a deficit of £1.6 billion, resulting in 72% of universities facing a deficit and 40% having low liquidity. This is likely to lead to course and university closures, with those focused on postgraduate taught courses relying on international students being “of particular concern”, it said.Declining interest from India was due to master’s students not being allowed to bring partners, the economic conditions in the UK, and recent rioting stories, said Amit Tiwari, president of the Indian National Students Association UK. “Unless the UK govt address this, the outlook for UK universities is bleak as they rely heavily on Indian students,” he said.Indian students are looking at Germany, Ireland, the US, and the Middle East instead, said Sanam Arora, founder and chair of National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK. She blamed the “Conservative party ban on dependents, confusion around the post-study work visa , an increase in skilled worker salary thresholds and an apparent lack of jobs in the UK.” “For the first time, safety is also being raised as a concern,” she said.
