Universities UK response to new HESA figures on student enrolments and qualifications for the academic year 2014/15

“The decline in part-time student numbers remains a serious cause for concern. The opportunity to study on a part-times basis is vitally important, both for individuals and for the country. It contributes towards improving social mobility.

“The Chancellor's Spending Review statement in November announced that student maintenance loans are to be extended to part-time higher education students in England from 2018-19. We hope the changes will help address some of these falls in recent years, but more specific action may be needed.”

Commenting on the drop of 3% in the number of new international (non-EU) students, Dame Julia Goodfellow added: “While overall international student numbers remained solid, the number of new non-EU domicile entrants fell by 3%. Significantly, there were more first year students from the USA than from India coming to the UK. In comparison, the number of Indian students enrolling in the USA increased by 29% this year, and similar levels of growth are being reported in Australia.

“We could be doing better than this. The UK has the potential to be one of the world’s fastest growing destinations for international students, building on its current status as the second most popular destination for international students (after the US).

“It is essential that the UK government presents a welcoming climate for genuine international students and academics and ensures that visa and immigration rules are proportionate and communicated appropriately. We would also like to see enhanced opportunities for qualified international (non-EU) graduates to stay in the UK for a period to gain professional experience and contribute to the economy. These measures will be essential to meet the government’s own target of £30 billion education exports.”