UK Unveils New International Education Strategy, Drops Foreign Student Targets. The UK government has unveiled a new International Education Strategy that places more emphasis on growing British education abroad than it does on recruiting international students to UK institutions.
According to ministers, the 2019 target of drawing 600,000 overseas students to the UK each year will be replaced by a focus on increasing “education exports” to £40 billion yearly by 2030.
In order to give students access to UK education closer to home, the new strategy will encourage universities, colleges, and schools to establish worldwide collaborations and develop overseas hubs. According to the Department for Education, the policy supports providers in entering new and growing international markets by eliminating numerical targets for international students in the UK while still welcoming them.
According to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, growing internationally will boost domestic economic growth while assisting institutions in diversifying their revenue streams, fortifying international ties, and broadening access to top-notch UK education.
With an annual contribution of £32 billion—more than the automotive or food and drink industries combined—education is already one of the UK’s most valued exports. International students studying in the UK, UK institutions operating overseas, and UK training, credentials, and digital learning sold abroad are all examples of exports.
The proposal comes after a dramatic decline in study permits. 431,725 sponsored study visas were issued in the year ending June 2025, a decrease of 18% year over year and 34% from a peak in 2023. In the autumn budget of last year, the government also instituted an annual charge of £925 per international student. In order to guarantee that international students are legitimate, stricter compliance regulations will be put in place at the same time. If criteria are not reached, colleges risk having their licenses revoked or having recruitment caps.
Demand is still high in spite of the fall in visas. According to UCAS data, the number of overseas undergraduate applications increased by 2.2% to 138,460 in 2025, with China accounting for a record 10% of the total. There are currently about 620,000 students enrolled in UK universities abroad in about 200 nations and territories.
More than 50 current world leaders are graduates of UK universities, according to ministers, who said the plan will increase the UK’s impact internationally. Education exports, which are fuelled by digital learning, AI-enabled innovation, and future skills, are a “major UK success story,” according to Trade Minister Chris Bryant.
However, student leaders expressed worries about how it would affect campus life. Amira Campbell, president of NUS UK, stated that foreign students are essential to the UK’s standing in the world and urged the government to guarantee that foreign campuses offer the same calibre of instruction and educational opportunities as those in the UK.
The strategy also reaffirms the UK’s intention to rejoin the EU’s Erasmus+ program in 2027 and to continue supporting outbound mobility, including a sixth year of the Turing Scheme.