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Top 10 Countries with the Most Students in the UK

This article gives in details the top to countries with the most students in the UK with respect to the new ban on international students traveling with families to the UK.

Published

2 years ago

May 26, 2023

Oluwafemi Afolayan

Top 10 Countries with the Most Students in the UK - RNN

Most students who wished to pursue a career or advance in their academic pursuits have made the UK their preferred choice because it has created an environment that supports and encourages learning with other benefits attached to having international students come to study from all over the place regardless of race or background, there’s always a place for everyone.

In addition to this, the United Kingdom has created a friendly environment for folks that guarantee safety with respect to living and have put mechanisms in place so that anyone taking the opportunity can have a shot at life. Meanwhile, many have taken use of this opportunity as a means to migrate to the UK either by having a full scholarship, a partial (50% scholarship), or sponsoring their education themself.

Although the number of international students has been on the rise lately, with more willing to go to the UK to study, this in turn has also increased the number of people entering the UK on that route which has multiplied with the number of dependent coming with them, well, this seem to be an issue with the UK government who are trying to clamps down on international student coming in with families.

In this article, we will explore the top 10 countries with the most students in the UK with respect to how many of their nationals are currently studying in the UK and what their percentage holds among international students studying in the United Kingdom between 2021/22 and 2022/23.

1. China – 151,690 (22.3%)

China tops this list with 151,690 Chinese students studying in the UK, which also accounts for about 22.3% of the total international students currently studying in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, this total figure accounts for students studying for undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. studies in various universities in the UK.

In addition, to Chinese nationals having a higher percentage among visa grants for students to study in the UK, they also make up most of the proportion of international students in most schools in the United Kingdom. Although, in a bid not to be overly reliant on international students from China for financing have reduced the number of visa issues to Chinese students for study with Chinese students making the most international students in some schools such as Southampton: 60.5%; RCA: 59.8%; Sheffield: 57.8%; York: 56.2%; Birmingham: 50.3%; and Manchester: 49.9%.

2. India – 126,535 (18.6%)

India is the most populous country in the world after overtaking China and it is evidently the second country with the most students in the UK, having approximately 126,535 students currently undergoing their studies in the United Kingdom. Also, India is above China in terms of visa priority to study in the UK and is also awarded most sponsorship visas, an increase of 105,278 (+307%) compared to 2019 which brings it to about 139,539 visa grants to Indian nationals, at the end of 2022.

Furthermore, in 2022/23 an estimated 38,990 dependants accompanied 139,539 Indian students which in total to overall number of dependents have increased more than 8 folds 3 years prior. Likewise, India has 87,045 new enrolments as of February 2023, an increase from previous years with about (+44%) in the number of accepted applicants.

3. Nigeria – 44,195 (6.5)

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with a population of more than 220 million people and likewise, it is the only African country to make this list and the third in this rating. Just like the previously mentioned above countries, Nigeria also has its fair share among countries having the most student in the United Kingdom.

On the other hand, Nigeria currently has over 44,000 students studying in the UK at different educational levels, although not have a sheer percentage like China and India, it, however, has an exponential increase in granted visas compared with the year previous years with about 769% according to sources making the total visa approval for the year 2022 to be approximately 59,053 for students.

Meanwhile, in addition to having a large increase in visa acceptance for study sake, Nigeria has also witnessed a spike in the visa acceptance of dependence, in 2020/21 about 34,031 Nigerian students arrived in the United Kingdom with 31,898 dependant visas issued alongside them while in 2022/23, it has increased to 60,923 dependants for 59,053 Nigerian students.

4. Pakistan – 23,075 (3.4%)

Pakistan is the first Arab country to appear on this list and it has also experienced an increase in acceptance of sponsored visas, although not like the first top three countries on this list. Currently, Pakistan is having about 23,000 of its nationals enrolled across schools in the United Kingdom, bringing new enrollment and ac acceptance of visas as of February 2023 to approximately 16,550 students.

Among the top 10 countries with the most students in the UK, Pakistan makes up approximately 3.4% of the whole population.

5. United States – 22,990 (3.4%)

One would wonder why the United State have such a high number of its citizens abroad in different higher institutions in the UK, but it is what it is. The United States makes up 3.4% of the international student population in the United Kingdom studying and majoring in different disciplines. Meanwhile, according to statistics in 2019, the US had a moderate increase in visa acceptance of (+2%) with about 14,566 new entry visas as of the end of the year 2022. With students more likely to choose the UK as a destination to study even ahead of the US and Canada, there will be more increase among Americans to pursue educational degrees in the UK.

6. Hong Kong – 17,630 (2.6%)

Fifth on the list is Hong Kong, with a total of 17,630 students currently enrolled in various disciplines across different universities in the UK. Meanwhile, Hong Kong with other Asian countries makes up about 390,615 students in total currently schooling in United Kindom universities. Altogether as of 2023, Hong has about 8,170 students who have new enrolments into various disciplines. Also just like Nigeria and some other countries on this list, Hong Kong had approximately, 7,941 nationals schooling in various universities in the UK by ending December 2022 and it has seen a significant increase too from the previous year.

7. Bangladesh – 12,700 (1.9%)

Bangladesh is the eighth-most-populous country in the world, with a population of around 169 million located in south Asia in the Asian continent. It is having about 12,700 students currently studying in the UK with that number making up 1.9% of the total international students studying in the UK. Additionally, Bangladesh ended the year 2022 with about 15,277 which was about a 775% increase from 2019 according to sources with 9,170 new enrollment as of the 2021/22 session.

8. Malaysia – 12,135 (1.8%)

Malaysia also increased this year, following modest decreases in recent years with over 12,000 students currently studying in the United Kingdom it is one of the countries among the top countries with most students in the UK that has seen a significant increase with about 9,170 currently admitted into various programs across diverse institutions in the UK after it ended the year 2022 with about 6,856 nationals in different university.

9. France – 11,870 (1.7%)

France is the first EU country to appear on this list and it also has the highest number of students in the United Kingdom ahead of other European Countries. In total France has about 12,000 studying across different disciplines in the UK with a 1.7% which makes up the total international students studying in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, as of February 2022, France had about 4,355 of its nationals newly enrolled in universities across the UK, having more of its people studying in England making about 9,910 students.

10. Italy – 11,320 (1.7%)

Lastly, Italy takes the last stand on this list of countries with more international students in the UK with a total of about 11,320 students making 1.7% of the entire international student population in the UK. Although Italy and France are the top EU countries on this list with the same percentage, there is however a slight difference in the number of citizens studying in the UK. Additionally, Italy is the second country that brings the most students to England with a total of 9,580 students. Meanwhile, with Italy and other European countries that amount to a total of more than 120,000.