A record number of international students applied to UK universities in the past year, according to the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).

Data published by UCAS shows that 148,350 international students applied to a UK undergraduate course between June 2025 and June 2026, which is a 7.1% increase from the previous year. This increase was driven by a sharp rise in the number of applications from Chinese students, which rose from 33,870 in 2025 to 38,000 in 2026.

However, the number of international students accepted onto UK undergraduate courses has decreased in recent years. Further data from UCAS shows that 53,740 international students were accepted onto undergraduate courses, a 2% increase from the previous year but a decline from 2019 when the figure was 60,070.

Last week, the Sunday Times reported that the number of international students in the UK has dropped in recent years, forcing universities to accept applications with lower grades. According to the report, the number of international students in the UK peaked at 758,865 in 2022-23, before dropping to 685,595 in 2024-25.

This drop comes after a number of restrictions were placed on student immigration in the past three years. In January 2024, the Conservative government implemented restrictions on dependents who could be brought into the country by those on a student visa. Last year, Keir Starmer’s Labour government implemented further restrictions on student visas, cutting the time that holders could stay in the UK after their student visa expired from two years to 18 months.

UK universities are in the midst of broader concerns about funding. In a report from May of this year, the Commons Education Select Committee suggested that as many as 24 universities were at risk of insolvency in the next 12 months. A report by the Higher Education Policy Institute has suggested that these financial struggles are due to a drop in funding generated by international students as well as rising costs. In response, the University and College Union has warned that higher education institutions face a “financial cliff-edge”.

The Government responded last month by stating that failing institutions would not be bailed out and may be forced to close. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for technical education to receive funding on a par with universities, while arguing that higher education institutions should become “the heart” of local communities.