Number of overseas students in Scotland falls by more than 10,000

The number of overseas students in Scotland fell by more than 10,000 last year.

Figures show foreign student numbers have dipped from an all-time high of 83,975 in 2022/23 to 73,915 last year – a drop of nearly 12%.

The HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) statistics show there were 173,795 students from Scotland at the nation’s universities.

The number of EU citizens earning a place at Scottish universities has continued to fall since Brexit, with just 10,430 recorded last year – more than half its level in 2019.

China continued to account for the highest proportion of overseas students in Scotland.

The number of Chinese students in Scotland dropped from 19,000 in 2022/23 to 17,565 last year.

Numbers from India and Nigeria also fell but the number from Pakistan increased.

Dundee University, which is dealing with a £35 million budget black hole, saw its foreign student numbers reduce 27% in one year, from 4,570 to 3,335.

The University of Glasgow’s foreign student population fell from 15,200 to 12,935 while Edinburgh University saw overseas students rise from 16,625 to 17,020.

Robert Gordon University saw the biggest dip of any institution in the country, nearly halving its overseas student numbers to just 2,365.

Meanwhile, the figures also show the amount of people entering university in Scotland from the most deprived backgrounds has increased.

In 2023/24, 16.7% of full-time first-degree entrants to Scottish universities came from the nation’s 20% most deprived areas – a figure the Government said was a “near record high”.

It marks a rise from 16.3% recorded the year before.

Minister for higher and further education Graeme Dey said: “These figures show the significant progress of Scotland’s universities in making higher education not only more inclusive but also attracting a rising number of Scots overall.

“The number of Scots from the most deprived backgrounds entering university on full-time first degree courses is now up 37% since the establishment of the Commission on Widening Access by this Government.

“This means many more people, no matter their background, have the opportunity to prosper in their lives.

“We recognise the issues raised by the sector around a decline in international student numbers and damaging UK migration policies which is why we have proposed a ‘Scottish Graduate Visa’ which would allow us to retain international students after they graduate from Scottish institutions.”