According to recent data, the UK must prioritize student recruitment in Europe if it wants to maintain and further enhance its position as a leading study abroad destination. The UK’s exit from the EU has negatively harmed the country’s reputation among students on the continent, according to the International Student Recruitment from Europe which was released by Universities UK International and Studyportals.
While UNESCO data indicates that the UK was the top or second-most popular destination for 29 of the 47 nations in Europe in 2019, on the contrary interest has been declining, according to the research.According to the most recent UCAS data, acceptances to EU programmes fell by 47% between 2020 and 2021, and Studyportals observed a 28% decline in page views for UK programmes between 2019 and 2022.Between 2019 and 2022, it was discovered that less students were interested in undergraduate and graduate programmes in 10 marketplaces throughout the continent.
The government and universities must also gather data on graduate programme outcomes abroad, especially those of graduate-level students from Europe. The report noted that while these interventions “cannot entirely replace all the perks of free mobility, they may provide a degree of mitigation.” In any further iteration of the government’s worldwide education strategy, Europe must be acknowledged as a target region, and other programmes and activities to internationalize education should be supported to “offer a cross-cutting advantage to student recruitment.”