Big drop in overseas students at Scottish universities

The number of overseas students at Scottish universities dropped by almost 10,000 last year, new figures show.

The decline comes after foreign student numbers reached an all-time high in the previous year – their tuition fees provide an important source of funding for universities.

The latest figures from HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) show there were 73,915 students from outside the UK, down 12% from 83,795 the year before.

The statistics also show there were 173,795 students from Scotland at Scottish universities.

The number of European Union students in Scotland fell by half as Britain left the EU in 2019 and it has continued to fall in the current figures, to just 10,430.

Meanwhile, the share of foreign students had been rising from one in 20 in the 1990s to more than one in four in recent years.

The largest number of overseas students in Scotland is from China.

It fell from 19,000 in 2022/23 to 17,565 last year.

Students from India fell from 12,235 to 9,950 and Nigerian students dropped from 9,415 to 5,985.

The number of students from Pakistan increased from 5,075 to 5,540

Dundee University, which recently announced a £35m black hole in its finances, saw a 27% drop in international students – down from 4,570 to 3,335.

The University of Glasgow saw a 15% drop in overseas students, down from 15,200 to 12,935.

However, the University of Edinburgh, which has also announced financial shortfalls, managed to increase its number of overseas students from 16,625 to 17,020.