Chinese students worth £1.7bn to UK universities

The number of Chinese students at UK universities has soared in recent years – and they are of increasing importance to the nation’s higher education system.

In 2018-19, China sent more students to study at UK institutions than any other overseas country, according to data published earlier this month by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa).

Overall, a third of all international students from countries outside the EU are now from the Asian nation.

Chinese students are of “phenomenal importance” to UK higher education, second only to British students, one expert said.

Unlike tuition fees for UK and EU undergraduates, which are capped at a maximum of £9,250, charges for those coming from nations outside the EU – including China – vary and are typically considerably higher, as are those for post-graduate study.

An analysis of official data, published by the Times Higher Education magazine, found that in 2017-18, Chinese student fees were worth around £1.7 billion to UK higher education.

At five institutions, the analysis calculated more than 10% of all income came from these students.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said: “Chinese students are phenomenally important, second only to British students in terms of importance.

“We are now more reliant on Chinese students because they are a bigger proportion of all students coming here,” Mr Hillman said, adding that the expectation was that the numbers would continue to grow.