To continue to attract international students, British universities must offer exchanges, study abroad or transnational education, writes Michael Peak.
The UK has become the most popular destination in the world for first-year international students. Including visiting and exchange students, the UK hosted 272,800 newcomers in 2013-14 while the US had 270,100. New enrolments grew by 5 per cent in the year to 2013, according to figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. The number of international higher education students in the UK is now four times the number of revellers at the Glastonbury Festival.
Following the declines of recent years, this is certainly welcome. But rather than celebrating wildly, it is important to recognise that it reflects not only the popularity of British higher education but also the high turnover of international students and the fact that a great many new students need to be recruited each year for total numbers just to remain stable. Universities should also consider where the growth has come from and to recognise the global context.
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