Dependent Visa Restrictions Trigger UK Postgrad Enrollment Drop

Recent policy changes, including limitations on dependents, have impacted the number of visa applications. The data indicated an 84% decline in applications from dependents after a January 2024 ban that restricted family members from accompanying anyone but postgraduate research students to the U.K.

The report, released last week, emphasized a significant 20% decline in total international postgraduate enrollments for the 2024-2025 academic year. According to PIE News, the most significant drops were seen in applicants from Nigeria (65%), India (34%), and Pakistan (31%).

According to data from the U.K. Home Office, there was a 14% drop in international student visa applications in the U.K. last year compared to 2023.

Andrew Bird, chair of the British Universities and International Students Association (BUILA), attributed the decline to recent challenging years that have created "uncertainty" for potential international students. Bird warned that this uncertainty could tarnish the U.K.'s reputation as a premier study destination.

Despite the recent decline, U.K. higher education institutions had earlier exceeded their international student goals a decade in advance, accommodating more than 600,000 international students during the 2020-2021 academic year, as reported by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The drop in enrollment is anticipated to significantly impact postgraduate programs, as international students made up 71% of all full-time postgraduate students in the 2022-2023 academic year.