UCAS figures released last week revealed that international student early applications had risen for the 2025 cycle – a 4.7% increase in international applicants and a 1.3% overall increase in applications.
The early deadline, October 15, is for all Oxbridge courses as well as medicine, dentistry, and veterinary degrees beginning in Autumn 2025. This deadline comes before the January 29 UCAS equal consideration deadline.
It comes after 2024 UCAS statistics that reported a 1.9% decrease in overall international student applications.
The decline came at a time where 2024 brought UK government announcements that international students could no longer bring family dependants unless they were on a postgraduate research course. UK universities subsequently saw a significant decrease in postgraduate applications from India, Nigeria, and China.
Following 2024’s decline in applications, this increase has confirmed that the UK’s university sector is still an attractive global destination.
Global confidence in the UK’s higher education sector remains strong
Dr Jo Saxton CBE, UCAS
Saxton stated: “It’s welcome news to see that global confidence in the UK’s higher education sector remains strong, with an increase in international undergraduate applicants to UK universities and colleges for early deadline courses.”
China remains the UK’s largest international market. The UCAS figures showcased a vast 14% increase in early applicants to UK universities compared to the previous year.
It comes after data released in May that revealed that student applications had plummeted. From 2022-2024, applications for UK study visas sank by 27%.
Furthermore, the number of early deadline applications from domestic 18 year olds has decreased by 0.9%, with 38,940 applicants compared to 39,310.
This research corroborates KCL’s recent study that revealed that only 18% of the british public believed that international students take places from prospective domestic students.
London MIT University also saw a sharp rise in international applications in August. These UCAS statistics therefore provide a hopeful trend across the whole of the UK higher education sector.