A numbers game

There’s mixed student recruitment news after Brexit, despite what the OfS thinks about London’s advantages

If Playbook had one good thing to say about the pandemic, it would be that it stopped us from thinking about Brexit all the time. With zoos, schools, hairdressers, spas, tattoo parlours and clothes shops (but not universities) now fully reopened, our thoughts are returning to the UK’s exit from the European Union. 

Throughout the pandemic, the narrative on student recruitment has been generally positive. International student numbers held up surprisingly well and UK youngsters are choosing higher education at record rates. As ever, though, the devil is in the detail—and while there are reasons to be cheerful, there are also challenges to acknowledge.