University applications from China have outstripped those from the European Union by a record margin this year, data published on Thursday shows. 

Chinese students are now by far the biggest overseas market for UK universities, with the number of applicants up almost 60 per cent in three years to a record 31,400, according to the university admissions service Ucas. The increase in demand from China comes as the number of applicants from the European Union, which was the biggest source of overseas demand before last year, fell 54 per cent to 23,160 between 2019 and 2022.

The figures, which show applications submitted before the end of June, have stoked concerns about universities’ overreliance  . 

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said: “To me, it’s a great thing that so many Chinese people want to study in the UK, but it does put our universities at serious risk of shifting geopolitics. If there was a shift in UK-China relations, British universities would be a big loser and will do less research. International student fees cross-subsidise research and without that sort of money we wouldn’t be the serious global player in research that we are.”

‘Plenty of choices available’

Meanwhile, demand from EU students has fallen sharply since Brexit, with students facing higher tuition fees than the £9,250 maximum charged for home tuition by English universities. In total, almost 550,000 domestic students and 135,000 international students have applied to UK universities. Data from Ucas shows that the overall application rate for UK 18-year-olds, at 44.1 per cent, was a record high and is likely to lead to high numbers of students starting university in the autumn.Poorer students are also set to go to university in record numbers, with the application rate for 18-year-olds from the poorest areas of the UK reaching 28.8 per cent by the end of June, up from 27 per cent in 2021. Applications received after the end of June will be entered into clearing, the process where Ucas recommends higher education courses that are yet to be filled. Clare Marchant, the Ucas chief executive, said: “Nearly 30,000 courses are now available in clearing across many courses and institutions. There will be plenty of choices available to students who are unplaced or use clearing as an opportunity to rethink their plans.”

• https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/۲۰۲۲/۰۷/۱۴/chinese-students-now-biggest-foreign-market-uk-universities/