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Written question asked by Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Josh MacAlister (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Overseas Students: Student Numbers

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the number of overseas university students enrolling in UK higher education institutions since the UK’s departure from the European Union.

Answer

Education is a devolved matter. As such, the Scottish Government is responsible for higher education (HE) policy in Scotland

The independent regulator of the English HE sector, the Office for Students (OfS), is responsible for monitoring the sector’s financial position. We work closely with the OfS to understand emerging issues and risks within the sector. As HE providers in England are independent of government, they are responsible for managing their own finances. All providers must continue to adapt their business models as necessary to safeguard their long-term financial sustainability.

Our world class HE sector rightly attracts students from across the globe, who positively impact our HE sector, economy, and society as a whole and become global ambassadors for the UK.

The UK government’s International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith, is a member of the Scottish government’s International Education Strategy Governance Group and there are regular engagements between officials of both governments on matters pertaining to international students.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
19852
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Overseas students Student numbers
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk