Number of overseas students at Scottish universities drops by more than 10,000

The number of overseas students attending Scottish universities dropped by more than 10,000 last year, statistics show.

In the 2022/23 academic year, the number of foreign students reached an all-time high at 83,975, but this fell by almost 12% the following year to 73,915.

The HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) figures also show 173,705 Scottish students at universities throughout the country.

Students from the European Union have decreased by more than half since 2019/20 with only 10,430 now studying in Scotland.

The most significant number of overseas students in Scotland are from China; however, the number fell from 19,000 in 2022/23 to 17,565 last year.

Cash-strapped Dundee University, which is trying to solve a £35m financial black hole, welcomed 3,334 students from abroad, a 27% drop from the year prior.

Edinburgh University, which is dealing with financial problems of its own, saw international student numbers rise from 16,625 to 17,020.

The number of overseas students attending Glasgow University fell from 15,200 to 12,935.

Scottish students seeking higher education at university do not have to pay fees for their courses.

Dundee University recently cited the fall in fee-paying international students and inflation as external factors contributing to its poor financial standing.

In 2023, the Scottish Conservatives claimed the Scottish Government’s “underfunding” of universities had left the sector increasingly dependent on cash from foreign students.

A spokesperson for the Government at the time said that students from abroad made a “significant contribution to our society, culture and economy”.