The last year has brought challenges for us all, students have been faced with difficult decisions about their study choices – with many students choosing to defer, start online and some still pursuing their goals of studying in the UK with increased safety measures on campus. It has not been easy for anyone, but we have been committed to supporting our students from across the world with whichever journey they chose to take.
Reflections on 2019/20
According to a recent report from Higher Education Statistics Agency, the number of international students at higher education institutions in the UK in 2019/20 increased by 12% from 2018/19, totalling 556,625. Despite a continuing decline in EU student enrolments since the referendum, general non-UK student enrolments are up. Our highest intake of students to our University Partnerships division came from India in 2020, along with a continued presence from European markets and growth in number of enrolments from the African market.
Of the 271 HE providers that reported student data to HESA, 109 of these enrolled at least 1,000 non-UK students. Approximately 99 providers recorded fewer than 100 non-UK students. Despite the ongoing pandemic, De Montfort University International College (DMUIC) is set to achieve more than 1000 students for the first time this year, making it one of the UK’s largest pathway colleges. The UK has kept its borders open to international students for the last year, making it a more welcoming study destination than those who have closed their borders. It is thanks to this and the incredible support we have received through this challenging year that we have seen student enrolments across our university partners continue to flourish.
The future
At Oxford International, we continue to expand our global presence to provide increased local support to our agent network. Over the past 9 months we have seen growth in Vietnam, Kenya, Lagos, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Korea, Dubai and Nepal. We also plan to continue expanding our presence in Taiwan, China, Ghana and Turkey amongst other locations in the coming months. We have remained resilient in the market and continued to grow and build our university partnership offering. With confidence in the vaccine roll out, this growth is set to continue into 2021.
As we move forward into 2021, we remain hopeful and optimistic on the latest vaccination data which places the UK 3rd in the world. The UK has now administered over 10 million vaccine doses in total and is on track to hit its target of the top four priority groups being vaccinated by mid-February. This is an incredible achievement and could be the light at the end of the tunnel. Dominic Raab, the UK Foreign Secretary, also recently confirmed that the UK government plans to have offered every adult in the UK a COVID-19 vaccine by September.
Considering the success of the vaccine rollout so far, the UK is set to become the safest major study destination by the time students return in September. On top of this, the government has confirmed international students studying in the UK will be eligible for the vaccine.
Our partnerships
Through our international colleges at Bangor University, De Montfort University, University of Dundee, University of Greenwich and Jacobs University, we provide market leading education services to international students. Read more about our University Partnerships offering on our website: https://www.oxfordinternationaleducationgroup.com/university-pathways/