Global decline in international student enrollment impacts UK and US universities

International student enrollment is experiencing significant declines in both the United Kingdom and the United States, raising concerns regarding the financial sustainability of higher education institutions.

In the UK, Home Office statistics reveal that sponsored study visas granted in the year to June 2026 fell by 11% compared to the previous year and 41% from the peak in June 2023. Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, noted that the loss of high-fee international students threatens the ability of universities to cross-subsidize domestic education and research. The decline follows visa restrictions introduced in early 2024 that limited the ability of applicants to bring dependents.

In the US, new foreign enrollment fell by 20% this past spring, with graduate programs seeing a 24% average decline. While some demand is shifting toward countries like Germany, Ireland, and Singapore, a significant portion of the decline is attributed to Chinese students staying in China due to improving domestic universities and high youth unemployment. Chinese student arrivals in the US have dropped to approximately half of their 2018 peak.