Uk University Students: How Many Are There Now?

The UK is known for its prestigious and established university system, with an increasing number of students enrolling in higher education each year. In the 2021/22 academic year, there was a total of 2,862,620 students enrolled, with 1,288,160 of those in their first year. This number increased to 2,937,155 in 2022/23, with 2,053,520 undergraduate and 883,635 postgraduate students. The University with the highest number of students is the Open University, with 140,215 students enrolled.

How many UK students are enrolled in higher education?

As of 2023, there were over 2.94 million students enrolled in higher education at UK universities. This number has been steadily increasing over the years, with a total of 2,862,620 students enrolled in 2021/22, an increase of 4% from 2020/21. The number of students enrolled in 2021/22 included 1,288,160 first-year students, of which 41% were starting a postgraduate course. The number of students starting an undergraduate course fell by 2% during this period.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) recorded 666,815 overseas students in the UK in the 2018/19 academic year. The majority of these (260,155) were enrolled at Oxford Brookes University, primarily studying Association of Chartered Certified Accountants courses. Other universities with significant numbers of overseas students in 2018/19 included the University of London Worldwide, the Open University, Coventry University, and the University of Nottingham.

According to HESA, there were 260 higher education providers in the UK that returned data for the 2022/23 academic year. The total number of students studying at these institutions was 2,937,155, including 2,053,520 undergraduates and 883,635 postgraduates. Of these, 2,356,915 were full-time students, and 2,175,530 were from the UK.

How many international students are enrolled in UK universities?

The United Kingdom is one of the world's most popular destinations for international students, often ranking within the top three countries for hosting international students. In the 2022/23 academic year, there were 758,855 international students enrolled at UK higher education institutions, accounting for 25.8% of all higher education students in the UK. This figure has been steadily increasing over the years, with 679,790 international students in 2021/22 and 605,130 in 2020/21.

The UK government's International Education Strategy set a target to recruit 600,000 international students in higher education by 2030, a goal that was achieved in just one year. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) estimates that this number will continue to grow, with international applications to UK universities expected to increase by 60% from 2022 to 2030.

In 2022/23, the total number of students studying at UK higher education providers was 2,937,155, including undergraduate and postgraduate students. Of these, 663,355 were students from non-EU countries, and 95,505 were from the EU, highlighting the significant contribution of international students to the UK's higher education sector.

The top countries of origin for international students in the UK are China, India, and Nigeria, which together account for around 53% of all international students. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the number of students from India and Nigeria, with Indian nationals surpassing Chinese nationals in the number of granted study visas.

The presence of international students has had a significant economic impact on the UK. A study found that the economic impact of international students rose from £31.3 billion in 2018/19 to £41.9 billion in 2021/22. International tuition fees have become a substantial source of revenue for universities, with University College London's income from international tuition fees alone reaching over £640 million in the 2022/23 academic year.

How many UK students are enrolled in postgraduate courses?

In 2022–23, there were 2,937,155 students studying at UK higher education providers. Of these, 883,635 were enrolled in postgraduate courses. This means that postgraduates made up around 30% of students at UK higher education institutions.

In 2021–22, the number of students enrolled in postgraduate courses was slightly lower, at 829,450. This still constituted a similar proportion of the total student population, at 30.5%.

The number of students starting postgraduate courses in 2021–22 was 526,645, an increase of 9% on the previous year. This increase in postgraduate starters is in contrast to undergraduate starters, which fell by 2% in the same period.

In 2021–22, 34% of postgraduate students studied part-time. This compares to 15% of undergraduates.

How many UK students are enrolled in undergraduate courses?

Undergraduate courses are extremely popular in the UK, with a large number of students enrolled in them. In the academic year 2021/22, the total number of higher education students in the UK was 2,862,620, a 4% increase from the previous year. Of these, 1,288,160 students were in the first year of their course, and 526,645 (41%) were starting a postgraduate course, an increase of 9% on the previous year. The number of students starting an undergraduate course, however, fell by 2%.

The total number of students enrolled in higher education in the UK for the academic year 2022/23 was 2,937,155. Of these, 2,053,520 were undergraduate students, 883,635 were postgraduate students, and 2,356,915 were full-time students. The number of students from the UK was 2,175,530, while the number of students from the EU and non-EU countries was 95,505 and 663,355, respectively.

The number of undergraduate students in the UK has seen a slight decrease in recent years. For instance, in the academic year 2019/20, 2.28 million people were enrolled in higher education at the 169 higher education providers reporting statistics to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). This number includes full-time and part-time students.

The University of London is one of the largest universities in the UK by enrolment, with 140,215 students enrolled in the 2022/23 academic year. Other large universities include University College London (51,810 students) and The University of Manchester (46,860 students).

How many UK students are enrolled in full-time courses?

In 2021-22, there were 2,717,010 students at Universities UK (UUK) member institutions, with almost 80% of these students studying full-time. This number increased to 2,862,620 students enrolled in 2021/22, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). HESA's statistics for 2022/23 show that there were 2,937,155 students studying at UK higher education providers, with 2,356,915 of these enrolled full-time.

The number of students enrolled in full-time courses at UK universities has been steadily increasing over the years. In 2011/12, there were 2.5 million students enrolled in higher education courses in the UK, which decreased to 2.27 million by 2014/15. However, this trend was reversed in subsequent years, reaching a peak of over 2.94 million students in 2022/23.

The University of London had the highest number of students enrolled in 2021/22, followed by the University of Manchester and the University of Glasgow. The Open University, a mainly remote institution, had the largest number of students enrolled in 2021/22, with 151,840.

Frequently asked questions