- Study visa restrictions
The UK granted 6.2% fewer study visas to principal applicants in the year ending March 2024. This is due to restrictions introduced in January 2024 that prevent most international students from bringing dependents.
- Student perception
The UK’s policies have made it less attractive to international students. The increased cost of visas and immigration health surcharge (IHS) expenses have made it more difficult for students to finance their studies.
- University rankings
The 2025 rankings for UK universities have been released by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide. The University of Oxford was ranked as the best university in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2025. The University of Reading was named Sustainable University of the Year 2025.
Rising living costs and restrictive visa policies have also made the UK less attractive. Efforts to reduce the number of international students have become a significant issue for the sector. Although dependent-visa restrictions are not a major deterrent for Indian research students, the overall change in perception due to political shifts is concerning. Since the Government initiated the MAC review of the graduate-route visa from October 2023 to May 2024, we have observed a notable decline in student applications,” said Arita Ghoshal, founder-director at One Step Global.
Experts had been predicting this fall for a while now, as the Sunak government’s policies hinted at a gloomy weather for the British education system. “This fall was inevitable and appeared to be a component of the UK Government’s former policy, which involved talking down the market starting in early 2023. Additionally, the policies they implemented strengthened the perception that the UK did not accept international students. Students found it more difficult to finance study in the UK as a result of the increased visa cost and IHS (immigration health surcharge) expenses,” said Suneet Singh Kochar, CEO of Fateh Education, a UK-Ireland educational consultancy.
