UK records 16% YoY drop in sponsored student visa applications by Q3 2024

The number of foreign nationals seeking visas to study in the UK dropped by 16 percent in the third quarter of 2024.

Data from the Home Office, which oversees UK immigration, shows there were 350,700 sponsored study visa applications by Q3 2024.

This amounts to a 16.04 percent drop, compared to the 417,700 sponsored study visa applications the UK had received by Q3 2023.

The number of monthly applications typically peaks between July and September (summer) before the start of the UK academic year.

Data showed the country received a total of 263,400 sponsored student visa applications within the summer of 2024 alone.

This amounts to a 15.71 percent year-over-year drop, compared to the 312,500 applications recorded within the summer of 2023.

Since January 2024, foreign nationals have been banned from bringing family members to live with them while they study in the UK.

The ban, which was introduced in 2023 by the Rishi Sunak government to reduce immigration numbers, exempted students who are on research-based courses or government-backed scholarships.

The number of visa applications for the family members of foreign students, the Home Office reports, dropped by a drastic 89 percent.

The UK said 6,700 applications were made by the dependants of foreign students in summer 2024, nosediving from 59,900 in 2023.

These drops have prompted further concern over the financial health of UK universities that depend heavily on international student fees.

Universities UK, a body representing 140 institutions, said the drops show student recruitment “remains challenging”.

Nick Hillman, director of the think tank Higher Education Policy Institute, added that the numbers confirm existing fears that the previous government’s changes have made the UK a “less attractive” study destination.

In September 2024, the amount a foreign national must show as “proof of funds” to study in the UK was increased.

Under the new rules, foreign students going to London must now show a monthly bank account balance of £1,483.

Those planning to study outside of London will need £1,136 per month.