A number of large English universities have recorded significant falls in international recruitment in the latest academic year, early forecasts suggest, particularly among postgraduate taught students affected by recent policy announcements.
The Office for Students’ (OfS) Higher Education Students Early Statistics (Heses) survey asks universities to record their likely total student numbers for the academic year, providing the sector with an early indication of the number of students in 2023-24.
The Heses data, which represent only students at English providers in the approved (fee cap) category of the OfS register, will be used to calculate funding allocations for 2024-25.
Analysis shows there were around 340,990 new overseas entrants recorded in the survey – down by 3 per cent when compared with the 2022-23 release.
