International students at Scottish universities reached record high

This represents an increase of almost 30,000 students since 2018-2019, when Scottish universities reported 58,075 enrolments from outside the UK.

Despite the evident spike, sector leaders have said that the data does take into account recent policy changes and international events that have impacted enrolment since 2023.

A spokesperson for Universities Scotland said that the data is only a "snapshot" from almost two years ago, before "fluctuations in international demand and a further year of the threats of more restrictive changes to UK immigration policy" put universities on uncertain ground.

Despite positive signs from the UK Government that important postgraduate visas will remain in place, the spokesperson added that the "volatility in international student recruitment" is an ongoing cause for concern.

Number of Scottish students at universities in flux

While the HESA data showed an increase in international students in 2023, the number of Scottish students has fluctuated in recent years. There has been an overall increase since the 163,480 reported in 2018-2019, but a drop of almost 100,000 Scottish students compared to the 183,025 enrolled in 2021-2022.

The Universities of Edinburgh (16,625) and Glasgow (15,200) combined to account for 37% of the total number of international enrolments in Scotland, while the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) reported 270 of their 9,655 total were international students.

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UHI also reported the highest percentage of Scottish students at roughly 92%. The universities with the highest total numbers of Scottish students were the University of Glasgow (19,670), the Open University (19,200), the University of Strathclyde (17,010), Glasgow Caledonian University (14,930) and the University of the West of Scotland (12,885).

Scottish students accounted for 59% of total university enrolments across all 19 institutions for which data was available.

The University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews were the only universities to report more international students than Scottish students. The University of Edinburgh's 11,495 Scottish students accounted for 30% of its total student population, while St Andrews reported that its 12,160 included 3,220 (26%) Scottish students.

Across Scotland, international enrolments were most prevalent on full-time postgraduate courses, which were made up of approximately 76% international students.

The 19,000 students from China accounted for 23% of the international students in Scotland in 2022-2023. The next-largest countries of origin were India (12,235), Nigeria (9,415), the United States (6,080) and Pakistan (5,075).

Despite the reported increase in international students, university leaders have long warned that the international student population provides a critical but variable source of income. 

International students contribute substantially more to university budgets than the £1,820 institutions receive from the Scottish Government for each Scottish student. 

At the University of Edinburgh, for example, annual tuition fees for international undergraduates in 2022-2023 ranged from £23,100 to £32,100, with many postgraduate courses featuring even higher rates.

University of Dundee Assistant Vice Principal for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Professor Hari Hundal said that his institution, like many others in Scotland, saw a spike in 2022-2023 which he attributed to various factors.

"The economic crisis that struck Sri Lanka in 2022/23 severely impacted the country's stability, driving many students to seek educational opportunities abroad. Scotland, with its high-quality education and relatively welcoming environment at the time, became an attractive destination.

"Additionally, the availability of the dependent visa allowed students to bring their families, making the UK an even more appealing option during a time of uncertainty back home."

However, he added, universities cannot plan for environmental, economic, or other geopolitical crises to drive up international enrolments every year.

Recent uncertainty over immigration policies, including the potential for changes to graduate visa policies meant that the 2022-2023 spike did not carry into the most recent academic year.

Regarding the decline in the total number of Scottish students, Prof Hundal said that the Scottish Government has the ability to cap placements for Scottish students and warned against any interpretation that international students are taking places from domestic applicants.

"The decrease in domestic enrolments is not due to international students taking places, but rather a result of the limitations set by the Scottish Government on the number of funded places available at universities.

"These caps mean that the number of domestic students can vary for a variety of reasons, including demographic changes and shifting priorities within government education policy."

Although Scottish universities received a significant boost from international students in 2022-2023 – both financially and culturally – Prof Hundal said that more recent policy changes and economic challenges have "created a more precarious environment for recruitment".

"This highlights the need for a balanced approach to international student recruitment, ensuring that universities are not overly reliant on a single source of income, while also advocating for more stable and predictable immigration policies."

Commenting on the HESA report, a Universities Scotland spokesperson said that the unpredictable nature of international enrolments puts strain on university's abilities to fund Scottish students and pay for education in general.

“Another known in our environment is the extent to which the funding level invested in our Scottish-domiciled students has become dependent on fees from international students.

"Public funding levels per student are down nearly 20% over the last ten years and cross-subsidy has now become essential for most institutions. That makes the volatility in international student recruitment a far bigger concern and one that everyone in Scotland should be worried about.

“We are hopeful that the volatility of the last year has levelled out, but we won’t know the real impact of this for some months.

"Whilst universities cannot control global geopolitical issues, which have undoubtedly had an impact on the number of students choosing to come to Scotland over the last 12 months, we can be confident in the strength of our academic offer and student experience."