Which UK Universities are Most Reliant on International Students
Updated: Jun 2, 2020
Whilst UK universities saw their third worst performance in the QS World University Rankings this year, UK universities still boast high numbers of international students.

HESA figures reveal that many UK universities have a large contingent of international students, and that’s hopefully set to grow as talks mount over extending the period of time international students have to find a job after they graduate.
Quartz India recently reported that Indian student enrolments in the UK have risen for the first time in over a decade with 19,750 Indian students studying in the UK in 2017-18.
This suggests that international student recruitment has potential to expand across the UK as universities and government work to dispel Brexit uncertainty and the UK’s unwelcoming image.
Which UK universities have the most international students?
Northern Ireland has the lowest percentage of international students for both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the UK. England has the most undergraduates by a margin of around 1%, but Wales has the highest percentage of postgraduates by 5%. International postgraduates make up much higher numbers than undergraduates, meaning postgraduate study, and research, will be most affected should numbers decline.
These are the top 15 universities with the highest proportion of international undergraduates and postgraduates in the UK:
University College London: 12,742
The University of Manchester: 10,880
The University of Edinburgh: 8,138
Coventry University: 7,658
The University of Sheffield: 7,486
King’s College London: 7,054
The University of Liverpool: 6,919
University of the Arts, London: 6,689
The University of Leeds: 6,566
The University of Birmingham: 6,498
The University of Warwick: 6,440
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine: 6,277
University of Nottingham: 5,896
London School of Economics and Political Science: 5,776
The University of Glasgow: 5,510
It’s clear that these universities are actively attracting international students and developing their international student recruitment strategies.
If you’d like to develop your own international student recruitment strategy or just better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your current approach, please contact the QS Insights and Strategy team.
Source of Article: www.qs.com