New data reveals that the intake of international students in the 2021/22 academic year contributed a huge £41.9 billion to the UK economy.
A new report, The costs and benefits of international higher education students to the UK, published jointly by Universities UK International (UUKi), the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Kaplan International Pathways in collaboration with London Economics, reveals the growing importance of international students to local economies throughout the UK. (A summary report is also available alongside the full report.)
The report, which was commissioned to explore the impact of international students to the UK economy, reveals the total economic benefits have risen from £31.3 billion to £41.9 billion between 2018/19 and 2021/22, an increase of 34%. The data also confirm that – even when accounting for the impact on public services (estimated at £4.4 billion) – the economic benefits of hosting international students significantly outweigh the costs, with a total net benefit of £37.4bn to the UK economy.
