Uk University Attendance: How Many Students?

The number of students attending UK universities has been increasing over the years. In 2022–23, there were 2.94 million students at UK higher education providers, a 2.77% increase from the previous year. The number includes full-time and part-time students, both undergraduate and postgraduate. Undergraduate students made up the majority, with 2,053,520 students, while there were 883,635 postgraduates.

UK university student numbers

Overview

As of 2022/23, there were almost 3 million students enrolled at UK universities. This number has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, with the number of applicants also increasing. The number of universities has also grown to accommodate this rise in student numbers.

Student Demographics

The majority of students at UK universities are full-time students (around 79%). In terms of level of study, 71% are undergraduates, with 66% of all students studying for their first degree. Postgraduate numbers are highest in business, subjects allied to medicine, and education and teaching. The student body is predominantly female, with 1,668,600 female students compared to 1,251,815 male students.

International Students

International students make up a significant portion of the student body at UK universities. In 2022/23, 758,855 students (26% of the total student population) were international, with 95,505 from the EU and 663,355 from non-EU countries. The number of non-EU students has been rising in recent years, while the number of EU students has decreased due to Brexit.

Universities

The University for the Creative Arts had an offer rate of 97% in 2023, making it the easiest university in the UK to get into. The University of Oxford, on the other hand, had an offer rate of just 19.7%, making it the hardest UK university to gain acceptance to.

Subjects

The most commonly studied subject across UK universities is business and management, with 587,165 students enrolled in 2022/23. The least popular subject is veterinary sciences, with only 12,280 students.

Breakdown of undergraduates and postgraduates

In 2022–23, there were 2.94 million students at UK higher education providers. This figure includes both full-time and part-time students, and the number has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, with 2.86 million students recorded in 2021/22 and 2.72 million in 2020/21.

Of the 2.94 million students enrolled in 2022/23, 2,053,520 were undergraduates and 883,635 were postgraduates. This means that undergraduates made up around 69.85% of the student population, while postgraduates accounted for the remaining 30.15%.

Undergraduates

Undergraduates constituted the majority of students in 2022/23, with 2,053,520 students enrolled in UK higher education institutions. Of these, 1,888,450 were studying for their first degree.

The most common subject group for undergraduates in 2022/23 was business and management studies, with 587,165 students enrolled. This was followed by subjects allied to medicine and social sciences.

In terms of mode of study, almost 80% of undergraduates studied full-time, while the remaining 20% pursued their studies part-time.

Regarding student demographics, among UK-domiciled full-time undergraduates in 2022/23, 9% were educated in private schools, while the vast majority (91%) attended state-funded schools or colleges prior to university.

Postgraduates

In 2022/23, there were 883,635 postgraduate students enrolled in UK higher education institutions. This group consisted of 619,795 students pursuing taught master's programmes and 115,705 engaged in doctorate research.

Postgraduate courses tended to attract a higher proportion of international students. In 2022/23, there were 666,815 overseas students enrolled in UK higher education institutions, and the majority of these (260,155) were studying at the postgraduate level.

Similar to undergraduates, most postgraduates (71%) opted for full-time study, while around 34% chose to study part-time.

International students

The UK has long been a popular destination for international students, and in 2022/23, there were 758,855 overseas students enrolled at UK universities, comprising 26% of the total student population. This number has been steadily increasing over the years, with 679,970 international students in 2021/22 and 666,815 in 2018/19. The UK government's International Education Strategy aims to increase the number of international students in higher education to 600,000 by 2030, a target that was met for the first time in 2020/21.

In 2021/22, 559,825 non-EU students studied in the UK, with the largest group coming from China (151,690 students). India was the second-largest sender of students (126,535), followed by Nigeria (32,945). The number of new entrants from India has grown significantly, with a tenfold increase in 2021/22 compared to 2017/18. While China had been the top sender of students to the UK for over a decade, new entrants from China fell in 2020/21 and only saw a modest increase in subsequent years.

EU students made up 120,140 of the international student population in 2021/22. French and Italian students were the largest cohorts from the EU, with 11,870 and 11,320 students, respectively. The number of EU students has been declining due to changes in visa requirements and student finance; in 2021/22, first-year EU undergraduates decreased sharply by 62.6%.

Student demographics

In 2022–23, there were 2.94 million students enrolled with higher education providers in the UK. This was an increase of 2.77% from the previous year. The number of students enrolled in UK universities has been on an upward trajectory, with applications to study at university in 2023 reaching 752,000, a notable increase of 347,000 compared to 1994.

Among the student population, 758,855 (26%) were international students, with 95,505 from the EU and 663,355 from non-EU countries. The total number of undergraduate students was 2,053,520, of which 1,888,450 were studying for their first degree. Postgraduate students accounted for 883,635 of the student population, with 619,795 enrolled in taught master's programmes and 115,705 engaged in doctorate research.

The gender distribution showed a higher proportion of female students, with 1,668,600 females compared to 1,251,815 males enrolled in higher education. In terms of educational background, 91% of UK-domiciled full-time undergraduate students in 2022/23 were from state-funded schools or colleges, while the remaining 9% were privately educated.

The most popular field of study was business and management, attracting 587,165 students in 2022/23. In contrast, veterinary sciences had the lowest enrolment, with only 12,280 students pursuing this subject.

The University for the Creative Arts was the easiest university to gain admission to in 2023, with an offer rate of 97%. On the other hand, the University of Oxford was the most challenging, with a much lower offer rate of 19.7%.

Mature students (aged 21 and over) made up a significant proportion of the student body, accounting for 63% of UK-domiciled students and 48% of undergraduate students specifically. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students represented 27% of the UK-domiciled student population at UUK member institutions in 2021–22.

University rankings

As of 2023, there were over 2.94 million students enrolled at UK universities. The number of students enrolled in UK higher education institutions has been increasing, reaching new record levels in recent years.

The Complete University Guide (2025)

The top-ranked universities in the UK according to The Complete University Guide's 2025 rankings are:

• University of Cambridge
• Lancaster University
• University of East Anglia
• University of Oxford
• University of Birmingham
• University of Manchester
• Harper Adams University
• London School of Economics
• University of Surrey
• University of Strathclyde

The Guardian (2025)

According to The Guardian's 2025 rankings, the top universities in the UK are:

• University of Oxford
• Lancaster University
• University of Manchester
• University of St Andrews
• University of Aberdeen
• University of Southampton
• University of Bolton
• University of Cambridge
• University of the Arts London
• University of Sunderland

The Times/The Sunday Times (2025)

The Times/The Sunday Times, also known as the Good University Guide, ranked the following universities as the top institutions in the UK for 2025:

• University of Oxford
• University of Cambridge
• Imperial College London
• University of Edinburgh
• King's College London
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• University of Manchester
• University of Bristol
• University of Glasgow
• University of Birmingham

Times Higher Education (2025)

Times Higher Education's World University Rankings for 2025 placed the University of Oxford in the top spot for the ninth consecutive year. The complete list of the top-ranked universities in the UK according to Times Higher Education is:

• University of Oxford
• Imperial College London
• University of Edinburgh
• King's College London
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• University of Manchester
• University of Bristol
• University of Glasgow
• University of Birmingham
• University of Warwick

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