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<p>In 2024, the UK government implemented several measures to reduce net migration. These provisions might have impacted international students by making it harder for them to stay in the UK after finishing their studies, due to reduced opportunities for long-term employment. This paper investigates whether such a policy change has made the UK a less attractive destination for international education to prospective undergraduate mature students. We focus on this group of individuals because, compared to their younger peers, they are more likely to see overseas study as a pathway to employment and permanent migration. Using a difference-in-differences methodology where younger international applicants are used as a control group, we find that stricter migration rules have led to a 22.8 per cent reduction in older international applicants during the 2024–2025 period. This effect is found to be larger for females, and applicants from countries that are considered as key target markets in the International Education Strategy. Our results shed light on the impact that more restrictive migration policies may have on the flow of international students to UK universities. Overseas students make a significant contribution to the UK economy and are an important element for the financial sustainability of the higher education sector.</p>

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The effect of stricter migration policies on mature international students’ intention to study in the UK

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月25日

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  • Giorgio Di Pietro

摘要

In 2024, the UK government implemented several measures to reduce net migration. These provisions might have impacted international students by making it harder for them to stay in the UK after finishing their studies, due to reduced opportunities for long-term employment. This paper investigates whether such a policy change has made the UK a less attractive destination for international education to prospective undergraduate mature students. We focus on this group of individuals because, compared to their younger peers, they are more likely to see overseas study as a pathway to employment and permanent migration. Using a difference-in-differences methodology where younger international applicants are used as a control group, we find that stricter migration rules have led to a 22.8 per cent reduction in older international applicants during the 2024–2025 period. This effect is found to be larger for females, and applicants from countries that are considered as key target markets in the International Education Strategy. Our results shed light on the impact that more restrictive migration policies may have on the flow of international students to UK universities. Overseas students make a significant contribution to the UK economy and are an important element for the financial sustainability of the higher education sector.