The British Council have released their annual ‘Five Trends in International Education’ report, focused on the relationship between the UK and East Asia for 2025. Read on for our brief rundown of the report’s findings…
Growth in the UK
There has been a spike in recruitment for UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Briefly covered previously by the Gazette, UCAS data shows a 4.7% uptick in international undergraduate applications for early deadline courses overseas in the 2025 cycle.
In addition, a recent BUILA survey showed 93% of UK HEIs are offering January intake, and 64% of institutions surveyed now accept at least a fifth of their international student cohorts through January intake.
Changes to foreign policy in competing destinations, and the resurrection of Trump are likely to be making the UK more attractive to students. However, the Council warns HEIs can’t afford to be satisfied with ‘a growing piece of a shrinking pie’ as competition from other markets continues to grow.
Loss for the USA
The US may see a loss in international students, reflecting trends from the previous Trump administration when the number of international enrolments declined each year.
Current attitudes towards international students continue to be hostile, with the president personally threatening to deport students, and the ECA pausing funding for exchange programmes.
According to the British Council, some of Trump’s policy advisors have also proposed measures to discourage international students. This could include restricting post-graduate employment opportunities under the Optional Practical Training scheme
While this will certainly have a negative impact on the US as a study destination, it may well be good news for the UK. With greater restrictions from Australia and Canada, the UK could reasonably be viewed as the most welcoming of the Big Four.
Making waves in Malaysia
Malaysia has become one of the primary beneficiaries of an ‘eastward shift’, with record numbers of international student applications in 2024.
The country saw 66,000 applications last year, up 8.5% on the previous year, and 42% higher than pre-COVID levels. Almost 43% of international students came from China in 2024.
Chinese students seem to be attracted to Malaysia’s lower tuition and living costs, compared to places such as Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as its English-speaking population, and its institutions rising in global rankings.
Other markets benefitting from the ‘eastward shift’ include South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand.
For China itself, international student enrolment has declined since the pandemic, but it remains the largest source of outbound students in the region, and one of the largest host destination markets in East Asia.
Job prospects for students in China
The UK has a chance to attract Chinese students for postgraduate degrees. However, they need to appeal to their core values.
Youth unemployment in China remains high, increasing the appeal of postgraduate education in order to improve their outcomes in a competitive job market.
Demand for postgraduate education in China outweighs supply, with the UK inheriting some of the spillover. The UK takes 2.5 new postgraduate enrolments from China for every new undergraduate student, according to the British Council.
For lower-ranked UK HEIs to attract prospective students in China they would have to appeal to their core concerns: value and impact. This could mean pairing Master’s degrees with internships, or tailoring career services to Chinese students.
Period of decline from India
New students from India will likely decline in major host destinations this year.
In the UK, the number of study visas issued to Indian students dropped -27% through the first three quarters of 2024, with similar trends in the US, Australia and Canada.
The British Council say this is in part due to a ‘market correction’ after enrolments from India surged in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, as expected, tighter policies in major destinations are also reducing demand.
The Council say this trend is likely to be ‘healthy’ for the sustainability of student mobility from India. However, UK HEIs that rely on recruitment from India will have to fill the gaps with increased recruitment from smaller markets.
Looking ahead
In a post on LinkedIn, Director Malaysia at the British Council, Jazreel Goh said:
‘On balance, the outlook for UK education is brighter in 2025 than a year ago, but the UK will also face rising competition from non-traditional host destination markets in East Asia, as well as declining enrolments of students from India―the growth engine of international education in recent years.’
It’s clear the UK cannot rest on its laurels as a top destination for students. HEIs need to make note of these emerging trends and continue to work on becoming an attractive study destination.
