1. Top level analysis of 2008/09 HESA data
Good news as student numbers continue
to rise…
The 2008–09 HESA data reveals that there were a total of 415,585 non-UK domiciled students in UK
HE institutions in 2008–09. This represents an increase of 6.7 per cent on the previous year and a
growth of 38 per cent over the last six years. The number of non-EU domiciled students stands at
277,800 (growth of 7.9 per cent on 2007–08).
Where do our international students come from?
China is still the number one sending country, while Saudi Arabia’s significant 45 per cent growth secures it a place in the top-ten.
Top 10 non-EU sending countries
Rank Country 2008-09 2007-08 % Growth
1 China 50,460 49,090 2.8%
2 India 36,105 27,905 29.4%
3 United States 21,815 21,985 -0.8%
4 Nigeria 15,105 12,680 19.1%
5 Malaysia 13,355 12,435 7.4%
6 Pakistan 10,190 9,840 3.6%
7 Hong Kong 10,080 10,250 -1.7%
8 Canada 6,475 6,070 6.7%
9 Taiwan 5,885 6,390 -7.9%
10 Saudi Arabia 5,640 3,880 45.4%
I China remains the major sending country to the UK with over 50,000 students – an increase of 2.8 per cent on 2007–08.
This is the first positive growth from China since 2004–05.
I India continues to grow quickly with over 36,000 students in the UK in 2008–09. This is an increase of 29.4 per cent on
2007–08 and is a huge 189 per cent growth since 2002–03.
I There has been a slight decline in the number of students from the USA, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

2. I Saudi Arabia has risen from 13th place to 10th place, with a year on year growth of 45.4 per cent.
I There are now 1 countries (seven non-EU countries) that send over 10,000 students to the UK.
1
I Just three countries – China, India, USA – account for 40 per cent of all non-EU students in UK HE.
Education UK Partnership countries
In addition to India and Nigeria, particularly strong growth was reported in students coming to the UK from Russia, Turkey,
UAE and Vietnam.
Country 2008-09 2007-08 % Growth Absolute
2007-08 to growth 2007-08
2008-09 to 2008-09
China 50,460 49,090 2.8% 1,370
India 36,105 27,905 29.4% 8,200
United States 21,815 21,985 -0.8% -170
Nigeria 15,105 12,680 19.1% 2,425
Malaysia 13,355 12,435 7.4% 920
Pakistan 10,190 9,840 3.6% 350
Hong Kong 10,080 10,250 -1.6% -170
Thailand 5,160 4,765 8.3% 395
Korea 4,840 4,585 5.5% 255
Japan 4,505 5,235 -13.9% -730
Singapore 3,515 3,205 9.6% 310
Russia 3,115 2,810 10.9% 305
Turkey 3,045 2,690 13.3% 355
UAE 2,825 2,425 16.5% 400
Vietnam 2,150 1,880 14.5% 270
Mexico 1,755 1,745 0.5% 10
Brazil 1,580 1,495 5.6% 85
Indonesia 1,120 1,030 8.5% 90

3. Countries recording significant growth
The graph below shows a selection of non-EU sending countries, which have recorded a significant growth over the last year
(i.e. more than 15 per cent growth and sending more than 1,000 students).
These countries are predominantly from the regions of Middle East and North Africa and Central and South Asia.
Growth 2007/8 2008/9
700
Philippines
1125 61.00%
1230
Kazakhstan
1585 28.90%
1340
Kuwait
1615 20.40%
1825
Libya
2335 27.90%
2425
UAE 2825
16.50%
2675
Iran
3165 18.30%
Bangladesh 2955
3625
22.70%
3880
Saudi Arabia
5640
45.40%
12680
Nigeria
15105
19.10%
27805
India
36105 29.40%
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000
Growth in first year student numbers
155,890 non-EU first year students enrolled in UK HE in 2008–09. This is an increase of 13.1 per cent on 2007–08.
First year students from India grew by 40.9 per cent, Nigeria saw a 27.5 per cent increase, Saudi Arabia 71.8 per cent, Thailand
16.8 per cent, Bangladesh 37.8 per cent.
What level are they studying at?
First Degree candidates are the largest group of non-EU students (38 per cent, 155,610 students) closely followed by Post
Graduate Taught (36 per cent, 150,975). Other Undergraduate (54,275) and Postgraduate Research (54,730) each account for
just over 13 per cent.
180000
How does this compare to previous years?
160000 155610
2002-03 – 2008–09 witnessed a steady increase at
140000
Postgraduate Taught and First Degree level. Postgraduate
109260 150975
Research numbers have also risen over the same period but 120000
less significantly. The total for Other Undergraduate has 100000
plateaued since 2006–07. 100505
80000
60000 54730
Other
50270
Undergraduate
40000 54275
13.1%
Postgraduate 40920
Postgraduate Taught 36.3% 20000
Research 13.2%
0
2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09
First Degree 37.4% Postgraduate Research Postgraduate Taught
First Degree Other Undergraduate

4. What subjects are they studying?
The most popular subject areas for non-EU students in 08-09 continue to be Business and Administrative studies (81,245
students), and Engineering and Technology (37,600 students).
Focussing once more on new (first year) students by subject area, it appears that the real growth area is Computer Science; a
35.1per cent increase compared to 2007–08, moving from fifth place to fourth place. A sizeable proportion of these new
students were recruited from India; the number of first year Indian students studying Computer Science courses more than
doubled in 2008–09 compared to 2007–08. In addition, Law moved up from seventh place to sixth, Education 1 place to
1th
tenth and Historical and Philosophical studies 13th to 12th, representing a significant increase in first year students.
A wealth of data at your fingertips
Members can use our online interactive HESA data-mining tool to produce further statistical reports and charts in a user-friendly
format. This allows you to analyse, cross-tabulate and drill-down to investigate where students are coming from and what they
are studying. To use the tool, please visit: http://www.britishcouncil.org/eumd/statistics/
Our holistic EMI portfolio also includes the following innovations:
Student Decision Making (SDM) – A global on-line survey capturing aspirational data from over 100,000 prospective
applicants looking to study overseas, thereby empowering a UK institution to tailor their marketing approaches accordingly.
Members can access primary data collected by our SDM survey in a real-time, online, interactive, data-mining tool and via
tailor-made automated reports.
Early reporting of international student data – This is an initiative to improve the immediacy of international student data. It
allows for an instant insight into enrolment trends of other institutions by country, by subject, by year of course.
To find out more about how you can use these tools and more, please visit: http://www.britishcouncil.org/eumd-emi-data-
products.htm
Contact us
We hope that you have found this summary useful. If you have any
questions or comments, please get in touch.
Education UK Partnership
British Council
Bridgewater House
58 Whitworth Street
Manchester M1 6BB
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0) 161 957 7069
E: education.market.intelligence@britishcouncil.org
www.britishcouncil.org/eumd-partnership.htm