Students in Higher Education Institutions 2010/11shows that there were 2,501,295 students in higher education in the UK in 2010/11. Of these 2,073,070 (82.9%) were UK domicile students, 130,120 (5.2%) were from other EU member countries and 298,110 (11.9%) were from non-EU countries.
The table below shows the rate of change of student numbers by domicile. The total number of students rose by 0.3% from 2009/10 to 2010/11. However the number of UK domicile students fell by 0.7% and the overall increase was entirely due to higher numbers of non-UK domiciled students.
Students at UK HE institutions by domicile 2009/10 and 2010/11
Domicile
2009/10
2010/11
% change
UK
2087615
2073070
-0.7%
Non-UK
405805
428225
5.5%
Other EU
125045
130120
4.1%
Non-EU
280760
298110
6.2%
Total
2493415
2501295
0.3%
Source: HESA Students in Higher Education Institutions 2009/10, 2010/11
The map below shows the countries of domicile of non-UK students studying at UK HEIs. More details about student numbers from the top ten non-EU and top ten EU countries are given in the tables below.
Non-EU countries
Students from China and India accounted for over 35% of all non-EU domicile students at UK HE institutions in 2010/11. The table below shows the growth in numbers of students from the top ten non-EU countries of domicile from 2009/10 to 2010/11.
Top ten non-EU countries of domicile in 2010/11 for HE students in UK Higher Education Institutions
Country of domicile
2009/10
2010/11
% change
China
56990
67325
18.1%
India
38500
39090
1.5%
Nigeria
16680
17585
5.4%
United States
15060
15555
3.3%
Malaysia
14060
13900
-1.1%
Hong Kong
9945
10440
4.9%
Saudi Arabia
8340
10270
23.1%
Pakistan
9815
10185
3.7%
Thailand
5505
5945
8.0%
Canada
5575
5905
5.9%
All other non-EU countries
100290
101915
1.6%
Total non-EU domicile
280760
298110
6.2%
Source: HESA Students in Higher Education Institutions 2009/10, 2010/11
The number of students from other EU countries also continued to rise between 2009/10 and 2010/11. The table below shows the growth in numbers of students from the top ten other EU countries of domicile in 2010/11. Romania enters the top ten in 2010/11 for the first time, overtaking the Netherlands.
Top ten other EU countries of domicile in 2010/11 for HE students in UK Higher Education Institutions
Country of domicile
2009/10
2010/11
% change
Ireland
16595
16855
1.5%
Germany
15425
16265
5.4%
France
13780
13325
-3.3%
Greece
11785
11630
-1.3%
Cyprus
11160
11320
1.4%
Poland
8415
7330
-12.9%
Italy
6550
7100
8.4%
Spain
5720
5795
1.3%
Romania
3190
4625
44.9%
Bulgaria
3395
4615
35.9%
All Other EU countries
29020
31265
7.7%
Total other EU domicile
125045
130120
4.1%
Source: HESA Students in Higher Education Institutions 2009/10, 2010/11
Just under half of all non-UK domicile students in 2010/11 were studying for postgraduate qualifications. The majority of full-time postgraduate students were non-UK domicile. The table below shows the number of students by domicile, level of study and mode of study in 2010/11.
Students by domicile, level of study and mode of study 2010/11
Postgraduate
Undergraduate
Domicile
Full-time
Part-time
Full-time
Part-time
All students
UK
132190
242840
1180105
517935
2073070
Non-UK
177820
35865
187225
27315
428225
Other EU
36885
12910
69360
10960
130120
Non-EU
140935
22955
117865
16355
298110
Total
310015
278705
1367330
545250
2501295
Source: HESA Students in Higher Education Institutions 2010/11
Students in Higher Education Institutions 2010/11includes comprehensive data on student domicile, level and mode of study, subjects of study, qualifications obtained, offshore provision, and more.
A schedule of HESA releases for 2012 can be found here.
In the above data and annex tables 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.
HESA student data is collected from all publicly funded Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the UK, plus the University of Buckingham, which is a non-publicly-funded institution. The 2010/11 data covers 164 HEIs (131 in England, 10 in Wales, 19 in Scotland and 4 in Northern Ireland).
HESA cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties.