Australia overtaking UK for overseas students

Australia has been rapidly expanding its international student numbers.The British Council says it shows the UK needs to "look again" at its policies towards overseas students.

An analysis this year found that overseas students added £20bn to the UK's economy - and universities in the UK have warned that immigration rules after Brexit will need to be more welcoming for students.

Canada is also catching up in taking a growing slice of the lucrative overseas student market. Three years ago the UK was recruiting around 130,000 more overseas students than Australia.

But he says successive years of Australia having increases of 12% to 14% in overseas students have seen it catch up and overtake the UK, which has been growing much more slowly. UK higher education is still highly valued internationally, but the government has held down the growth of international student numbers for five years, by limiting new student numbers and post-study work visas. Meanwhile, competitor nations are strongly promoting their international education.

Australia has been marketing itself as an English-speaking country with high-performing universities, with an attractive climate and a welcoming culture for overseas students. This year's Best Student Cities rankings put Melbourne and Sydney in the top 10 - although London was the highest ranked of all. Australia has succeeded in attracting students from outside Europe, particularly from China. The research from UCL warns that the UK's future intake of international students will depend on keeping its appeal for European students.

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