International students in the UK and Brexit

This policy brief brings together and discusses evidence about the role of international students in the UK. It focuses on their migration behaviour and preferences, and the influence of the Brexit process on their choices.Over the past few decades, the number of international students has been growing steadily in many countries.International students now account for around one quarter of all migration to the UK. According to HESA, in 2018-19, there were around 485,760 international students in the UK, accounting for about one fifth of all Higher Education students. Of these, over two-thirds came from non-EU countries, with the majority from China and India.Bringing unique talent and skills, international students are a valuable economic asset to host countries,contributing, for example, to aggregate consumption and demand for jobs. Universities UK (UUK) figures show that in 2014-15 about £10.8 billion of UK export earnings were attributable to international students. This is on top of expenditure on university fees and accommodation. In the same period, international students spent some £5.4 billion in goods and services. UUK also reports that international students support over 200,000 jobs in the UK