UK arts degrees ‘increasingly attractive to Chinese students’

Ucas report suggests UK universities can capitalise on increasing demand for creative courses

UK universities could arrest a decline in the number of international students by taking advantage of Chinese students’ rising interest in creative arts degrees, the admissions service Ucas has said.

In a report produced in collaboration with Pearson, Ucas said the number of undergraduate students from China applying to UK higher education institutions this year fell for the first time since 2014—down from 33,660 in 2022 to 33,195 this year. Acceptances were down by 6 per cent, from 18,500 to 17,400—the first time this has happened since 2015.