Ministers are scrapping target numbers for international students in the UK and will instead focus on encouraging universities to open hubs abroad, as part of a plan to bring British education to people “on their own doorsteps”.
The government’s new international education strategy will set a target of increasing global “education exports” to £40bn a year by 2030, replacing the previous target – set in 2019 – of recruiting 600,000 international students a year to study in the UK.
The Department for Education said it would also bring in “toughened compliance standards” to ensure people coming to the UK to study were genuine students, and that universities would face recruitment caps and licence revocations if they failed to meet those standards.
“This approach removes targets on international student numbers in the UK and shifts the focus towards growing education exports overseas by backing UK providers to expand internationally, build partnerships abroad and deliver UK education in new markets,” the DfE said.
The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “By expanding overseas, our universities, colleges and education providers can diversify income, strengthen global partnerships and give millions more access to a world-class UK education on their doorstep, all whilst boosting growth at home.”
The government said it would “continue to welcome international students”. In December, it announced the UK would join the EU’s Erasmus+ programme in 2027.
But Amira Campbell, the president of NUS UK, said students wanted to “learn alongside our peers rather than being on different continents”. “The UK has a world-leading university sector – and we are glad the government are recognising this. But integral to this reputation are the international students on our campuses,” she said.
“We know the value of our international student peers is much more than the economic value, but the skills, experience, and knowledge they share. The government must ensure the same high-quality teaching and well-rounded university experience enjoyed by students in the UK is present across all satellite campuses, including abroad, and that we see investment in a high-quality experience for students regardless of location.”
In last year’s autumn budget, the government announced a new levy on international students of £925 a student per year of study. In the year ending June 2025, 431,725 sponsored study visas were granted, a decrease of 18% on the previous year, and 34% down from a peak of 652,072 in the year ending June 2023.
Ucas said the number of international students applying to undergraduate studies at UK universities and colleges had risen by 2.2% to 138,460 in 2025, with a record number of applicants from China, up 10%.
About 620,000 students are registered with UK universities overseas across almost 200 countries and territories.
Prof Malcolm Press, the president of Universities UK, said he warmly welcomed the strategy, which “signals a renewed commitment to fostering the global reach, reputation and impact of our universities”.
Institutions must apply and meet the regulations of the host country in order to open facilities abroad, and the DfE said it would help them “remove the red tape to expand overseas”.
A new education sector action group will work with universities, colleges, schools and the government’s international education champion to help unblock barriers to expansion overseas.
