UCAS Reports Slight Decline in International Undergraduate Enrollments for 2023

In the latest UCAS news, it has been observed that there is a slight decline in the number of international UCAS undergraduates who are from outside the European Union. Specifically, around 50,860 non-EU students were accepted in 2023 compared to 51,290 non-EU students who were enrolled last year. An approximate drop summed up to around 0.9% for the UCAS undergraduates admission in the UK.

In addition to this, the number of EU students who were accepted also decreased marginally. With a downfall this year to 10,610 from 10,910 last year. The primary reason behind this fall is the UK’s decision to leave the EU, which has resulted in students from the EU losing access to home fee status and government funding. There has been a consistent decline since 2016 when the EU student enrolment number peaked at 30,380. 

Later, in 2019, the number of EU students admitted to UCAS undergraduate courses declined to 30,040. It's worth noting that UCAS, the privately-owned admissions service, has previously stated that approximately 75-80% of EU-domiciled students and about two-thirds of non-EU students typically apply through its platform.

What is to be noted here is Ireland has maintained its exceptional status within the EU as it has retained its access to home fees and UK funding. As a result of this, around 2560 Irish students were accepted to the UCAS undergraduate program this year. Across all the countries in the EU, France had a share of 1,260 EU students, and Spain had around 1,100 EU students. In addition to the aforementioned statistics, it's worth highlighting that a significant portion of accepted applications came from non-EU students, specifically from India and China. India accounted for a total of 4,960 accepted applications, while China had an even larger share with 15,180 accepted applications.

Other countries with over 1,000 students accepted included Hong Kong (3,330), Malaysia (2,670), the United States (2,180), the United Arab Emirates (1,710), Singapore (1,550), Canada (1,460), and Nigeria (1,370). Notably, 1,020 students from Turkey were accepted for the first time for undergraduate courses through UCAS.

Before the A-level results were released this year in August, there were various concerns regarding the amount of competition UK students might face, an increase in the competitors as a result of a significant rise in the international student population. Another noteworthy aspect to consider is that a recent study indicates that the predominant growth in international students, particularly those from non-EU countries, has occurred at the postgraduate level.

The interim CEO at UCAS, Sander Kristel, has spoken about the matter, saying a record of 38,140 UK students have secured places through UCAS, which is a record number, but chose their study options later throughout the admission process. These statistics show a growing global attraction for UK higher education across the globe. This growth has been stagnant, considering the pandemic occupied the past few years. Overall, the data reveals that 270,350 UK 18-year-old students have been accepted onto courses, which is a 1.8% decrease from the previous year's figure of 275,390 but a 12.9% increase from 2019's figure of 239,460, according to UCAS.

What is to be noted here is that the UCAS remains open till the 17th of October, which provides some further opportunities for students trying to secure their place in the UK universities.