Two reports, one conclusion: the UK wins when it welcomes international students
Universities UK International
Part of Universities UK, we represent UK universities globally and help them meet their international aims.
In this post, Suraj Modhvadiya, Policy Advisor at Universities UK International (UUKi), compares two headline studies on the economic impact of international students: Public First’s new £355-per-resident estimate and last year’s £560 figure from London Economics.
Although the numbers differ, Suraj shows they lead to the same, unmistakable conclusion: welcoming global students boosts UK living standards, drives local jobs and wages, and enriches communities nationwide. Read on to see how these findings fit together and why they’ll spark crucial conversations at UUKi’s #ISR2025!
Every so often, the policy conversation around international students homes in on a single figure. In June, this figure was £355. This is the per-person uplift in UK living standards attributed to international students, revealed by new analysis by Public First. Last year, analysis undertaken by London Economics on the economic impact of international students calculated the net benefit at £560 per UK resident.
What should we make of this difference? At first glance, Public First’s findings might seem to contradict the earlier research. But in fact, both analyses tell the same story – just through different lenses. Regardless, both reinforce one core message:
International students are an unambiguous net benefit to the UK.
HEPI carried out a detailed study of the economic impact of a single cohort of international students. Their analysis captures both the direct and indirect contributions, including tuition fees, living and visitor spending, and supply chain impacts – balancing these against estimated costs to public services. The result is a £37.4bn net gain to the UK economy, which works out to around £560 per resident.
By contrast, Public First’s analysis estimates how international students raise living standards of UK residents, alongside measuring tuition and living costs as export earnings. They found that in over 100 parliamentary constituencies, international students give the average worker a wage boost equivalent to 2.5 weeks of pay per year, or £355 per resident.
Public First’s research builds on London Economic’s earlier modelling. It highlights that the value of international students is not just about gross domestic product (GDP) or university balance sheets, but about jobs in local economies, wage growth for the domestic population and global partnerships that benefit communities across the UK.
One thing is clear, and consistent in the research: international students make the UK better off – economically, socially and culturally.
These findings, and the questions they raise, will serve as conversation starters during networking at UUKi’s International Student Recruitment Conference, taking place in London on 24 November 2025.
This is the leading forum for senior university leaders to explore how the UK can maintain its global edge, deliver sustainable growth in international recruitment and ensure the benefits of global talent are understood right across Whitehall, Westminster and every local high street in the UK. Register here for this year’s conference.
LinkedIn Top Higher Education Voice, publisher of International Employability Insight (IEI) & founder of Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
1moUniversities UK has got this wrong, the UK should not be reducing International #studentrecruitment, a valuable source of #diversity & revenue for UK institutions, not to mention a means of building UK #softpower. There is no issue #recruiting more international students with the caveat that all universities that #recruit overseas, should support their #internationalstudents transition to successful #careers back in their home countries on completion of their #degree. This is only possible if they have access to robust representative Non-EU #graduateoutcomes data, subscribe to International #Education Insight Once caps start they keep on coming! First the Canadian government imposed 20% reduction for 2024 & another 10% for 2025! UK “#universities will offer to curb the rise in #overseasstudents in return for greater stability & the chance to increase #tuition fees, as part of a plea for the government to ease the sector’s growing financial crisis. Vivienne Stern, #UUK said the sector needed to think about the impact of international students & take into account potential flashpoints such as availability of accommodation & what support universities provide when increasing student intakes.” Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
LinkedIn Top Higher Education Voice, publisher of International Employability Insight (IEI) & founder of Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
2moIs it realistic to expect #internationalstudents to be able to transition successfully from the #GraduateRoute (GR) now reduced to 18months in the UK’s White Paper, when the average graduate starting salary is £25.9K & new entrant minimum salary will increase from £30,960 to £33,400? UK #universities desperately need a Plan B to support international graduates transition to #jobs back home &/or in third countries if they are unable to transition to #skilledworkvisas. Asia Careers Group SDN BHD is in a position to support UK #highereducation to do just that. The dream that #overseasstudents will go to #university for what is not an inconsiderable financial outlay for most, #graduate, land their dream graduate role at a Big 4 accountant firm &/or #tech giant, get #sponsored & secure indefinite leave to remain in their country of #study, is in fact is far from reality. Fayez Bin Khalid says “1000s of #internationalstudents in the UK get rejected because of their #visa status,” [even with the GR in place.] He goes on to say “International students are not eligible for 93% of UK #jobs.” It gets worse! For the 7% of #jobs we are eligible for, employers would rather hire a #British #graduate to avoid #sponsorship costs.”
LinkedIn Top Higher Education Voice, publisher of International Employability Insight (IEI) & founder of Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
2moLook out for this in University World News, it provides a summary of why #intled, now faces so many of what must seem insurmountable challenges. To start working on solutions please reach out & subscribe to our newsletter, International Employability Insight - https://lnkd.in/e5c_CSE4 While many universities claim to value #education for education’s sake, they & their #agents primarily use work opportunities to attract #internationalstudents. Moreover, while #universities are happy to promote #poststudywork opportunities, they offer little support for international students returning to their home countries. How did #internationaleducation become so tightly intertwined with #immigration? Across the Western world, governments are increasingly ‘clamping down’ on immigration, introducing policies that often directly target international students. Take United States President Donald Trump’s onslaught on immigration during just his first week in office as a concrete example. the prospects for international students studying in the #US don’t look great. The origins of this shift can be traced back to 2012 when Theresa May revoked #poststudywork rights for international students. Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
LinkedIn Top Higher Education Voice, publisher of International Employability Insight (IEI) & founder of Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
2moWhat if students were seen as assets & not costs! Looking to the future, how universities are funded needs to change. It is highly unlikely any more funding will be forthcoming from the government, with many demands on the public purse & universities at the bottom of the list when it comes to priorities. It is hard to argue that compulsory #education & health should not be prioritised over #highereducation post-pandemic, with #highered having received that windfall in overseas revenue over the last three years… What if we shifted the narrative? Far too often students are referred to by the public, government, & even universities themselves as a cost – the cost of teaching them! We could instead see students as a #university “asset” not a cost. If universities are to fulfil their social contract, there should be a direct link between those graduating from university progressing into employment, raising productivity, & therefore driving economic growth. In truth universities should be seen as economic growth engines, not education cost centres. If universities were funded differently & students were considered an asset not a cost, huge revenue opportunities open up, read our article in Wonkhe. Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
SEN Specialist | SEND Law Advocate | Founder and Director of Dora Copeland Educational Services | MA (Special and Inclusive Education) | MA (Human Rights)| PGCE | CELTA
2moOf course it does: £27,000 per year a head explains it all.