Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
16th Oct 2019

UK’s business schools highly reliant on international postgraduate students

A new report from the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) analysed data from the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and found that between 2015/16 and 2017/18, nearly seven in ten (69%) graduates from Business & Administration master’s programmes in UK universities were international students from non-EU countries.

In only two subjects within the overall field of Business & Administration studies – Health & Care Management and Land & Property Management – did non-EU students compose less than half of graduates.

Speaking to Times Higher Education, Anne Kiem, CABS’ chief executive, said the report underlines that,

“[International students] provide the numbers to make many programmes at postgraduate level viable and therefore available for those domestic students who do wish to study them. Importantly, international students bring experience of working in a different culture to the classroom and that in itself is a learning opportunity for everyone else.”

In a press release accompanying the report, CABS notes that the findings also highlight a pressing need to provide an “accommodating environment” for international students.

More broadly, Business & Administrative studies is the most popular subject among postgraduate students in the UK. In 2017/18, nearly one-quarter (61,560) of all postgraduate qualifications were awarded in this field.

Business schools’ international outlook

It isn’t only the significant proportion of international students in postgraduate business schools in the UK that underlines these institutions’ global orientation. The study found that over the past three years, 25% of UK business school graduates emerged with a master’s degree with an international focus. The CABS report highlights the following subject areas most likely to graduate students whose coursework included an international focus: Hospitality & Tourism Management (67%), Business Studies (67%), Fashion (62%), Business & Management (61%), and Event Management (54%).

MBA enrolments decline

Even so, CABS reports that there is a downward trend in enrolments in MBAs in the UK – and that this decline is driven by decreasing interest from non-EU students. The proportion of MBA graduates from non-EU countries fell by 21% from 2015/16 to 2017/18 (nearly 1,000 fewer MBA graduates), compared with a decline of 19% for EU students and a decrease of 5% for UK students. Overall there were 15% fewer MBA graduates in 2017/18 than there were in 2015/16.

Ms Kiem speculated that the decline in demand for MBA programmes might well have been the result of limited post-study work rights for international students:

“It is noteworthy that the decline in demand for an MBA has mostly stemmed from international students, perhaps put off by the inability to stay on and work in the UK on completion.”

Growing interest in entrepreneurship

Overall, the number of graduates with master’s degrees in Business in the UK grew by 12% from 2015/16 to 2017/18, and some sub-fields grew exponentially. For example, graduates with master’s degrees in Entrepreneurship, Enterprise, & Innovation grew by 74% in the past two years; Land & Property Management and Finance also experienced notable growth.

Big jump in non-EU doctoral students

From 2015/16 to 2017/18, there was a 22% jump in the number of students from non-EU countries graduating with doctorate degrees in the field of Business & Administrative studies. Combined with modest increases from UK and EU students graduating with these advanced degrees, the overall trend for doctorates was up by 13% from 2015/16 to 2017/18. For each of the three years in the analysis, non-EU students composed more than half of doctoral graduates.

Post-study work rights

For seven years, UK universities hoping to sustain or build their international enrolments have had to deal with restricted post-study work visas for non-EU students; in 2012, these were reduced by the government from two years to four months. Many believe that the limited amount of time non-EU students have had since then to find work and then obtain a sponsorship from an employer has acted as a drain on demand for UK higher education – especially from the key market of India. Opportunities to work after studying have been shown to be exceptionally important to many international students and policies around work have helped several study abroad destinations to gain market share over the past several years.

The British government’s September 2019 announcement that two-year post-study work rights will be restored – beginning for students graduating in summer 2021 – has encouraged university leaders who have been for years demanding such a change. The new policy will go quite some way to addressing, as CABS says, “the need for an accommodating environment.”

Current international students graduating before 2021 are organising to pressure the government to extend the two-year period to them so they can stay on for more than the four months currently allotted. Their petition partially reads:

“There are thousands of international students currently studying in the UK and gaining valuable skills. Since the current students do not have the post-study work visa for two years and [need] sponsorship from an employer, it will be difficult for them to get a job. […] Employers would definitely think about waiting for six more months, so they can hire other students who have the two-year post-study work visa.”

For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • Australia: With ELICOS under pressure, peak bodies push for reduction in “extortionate” visa fees Read More
  • Mystery shopping study finds broad improvement in student enquiry handling this year Read More
  • South Korea hits its 300,000 student target two years ahead of schedule Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

Australia: With ELICOS under pressure, peak bodies push for reduction in “extortionate” visa fees The latest data from the Department of Education reveals that enrolments in Australia’s ELICOS sector (English Language Intensive...
Read more
Mystery shopping study finds broad improvement in student enquiry handling this year The results are out for Edified’s annual Enquiry Experience Tracker study, and they reflect the best overall performance...
Read more
South Korea hits its 300,000 student target two years ahead of schedule In 2023, the South Korean government announced a plan to attract 300,000 international students by 2027: 220,000 in...
Read more
Canada: Study permit numbers are in steep decline in 2025 In 2024, the first year under Canada’s current cap on new international student enrolments, the total number of...
Read more
UK confirms levy on international student fees as new analysis argues that government is “drastically underestimating” the impact of the move Updated for 30 September 2025: On 29 September, the Department of Education announced that it would reinstate “means-tested...
Read more
US administration’s new H-1B policies create uncertainty around post-study work rights The H-1B programme is a key policy mechanism for international students in the United States. Aside from the...
Read more
China leverages higher education capacity with expanded TNE partnerships As with most statistics about China, the latest higher education figures are a little dizzying. Enrolment in the...
Read more
France reports more than 443,000 international students in higher education for 2024/25 The latest data release from Campus France reports a record-high foreign enrolment in the country. There were 443,500...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links