Whilst the recent abolition of the Post study Work visa due by April 2012 is still very much a topic of heated debate in the UK, a recent report shows how the trend of international students coming to the UK trend is anything but over. Hotcourses Abroad informs.
At least 15 per cent of UK university students come from outside the country, a recently published report shows. According to Higher Education Policy Institute, Institutional Diversity in UK Higher Education, the average proportion of non-UK students in each institution has increased by half in 2009/2010 to 21 per cent - fuelled by a rise in non-European Union students.
HEPI also emphasizes this increment as ‘positive’ and a sign that diversity is encouraged by universities and colleges. However, this diversity is marked by a variety of factors that not only include the diversity in the student population but also in the provision of different subjects.
The report says that changes in the subject offer of undergraduate courses - especially an apparent decline in science and a rise in some arts and humanities subjects, including the creative media industry - these had generally matched changes in the market’s demand.
In the meantime, Universities UK – the representative organisation for UK’s universities- is lobbying the government to create a net migration count that excludes university students from abroad, included in the past by those aiming to hit the government’s target to cut the immigration figure.
The proposal seeks to establish additional immigration data exclusive of university students to be established alongside present figures as a way to protect higher education institutions and international students from any further toughening of student-visa rules.
According to the Office for National Statistics, overseas students are included in net migration figures, which in 2010 hit a record of 252,000. The government has pledged to reduce this count to the "tens of thousands" by 2015.
However, it is estimated that UK economy income brought by overseas students will increase from £8.4 billion in 2010 to £16.9 billion in 2025 in real terms, according to a Universities UK recent report, Higher Education - Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century.
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Read more about the UK Job market and the predicted changes for 2012.
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