Universities see sharp rise in foreign students

The number of foreign undergraduate students at British universities has leapt by 8 per cent to almost 50,000, boosted by double-digit increases from China and new EU member countries. The rise - the fastest since 2003 - testifies to the continuing international appeal of British higher education. Four of the world's top 10 universities are British, according to the latest Times Higher Education Supplement survey, including Imperial College London and University College London, where at least a third of the undergraduates are foreign.
The popularity of British higher education abroad also boosts UK private schools, some of which have high numbers of Chinese and German students in particular - anxious to earn A-Levels that prepare them for entry to the best universities.…………………"UK degrees are recognised around the world as being high-quality and lead to excellent employment opportunities."………..The number of successful candidates from the 12 newer EU countries jumped 30.5 per cent to 7,024. Many are likely to stay in Britain, providing skilled labour.[View Full Article]