Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
18th Dec 2024

UK ELT reports “new normal” with softer student numbers for key third quarter

Short on time? Here are the highlights:
  • Student weeks in UK’s ELT sector are off by about a quarter since 2019, and the sector’s peak body believes this level of business is likely “the new normal”
  • Total weeks were 256,775 in Q3 2004 versus 338,585 in Q3 2019

The UK’s English-language teaching sector (ELT) may have reached peak business volume in 2019, five years ago. This past summer, student weeks reached 75% of what they were in 2019, down from 81% in the first half of the year, according to the QUIC Q3 2024 report informed by data from 126 English UK member centres.

English UK’s chief executive, Jodie Gray, believes this level of business may reflect new seasonal norms following the pandemic: “We are considering 2023/2024 as the new normal with figures unlikely to return to pre-pandemic highs or trends.” Ms Gray expects end-of-year 2024 numbers to be about the same as 2023.

Both Junior and Adult sub-sectors were down in summer 2024 versus summer 2023, by 10% and 9%, respectively. The Junior segment now makes up almost half of student weeks, which is the highest ratio – relative to Adult weeks – in the global ELT industry.

A look at student weeks for QUIC ELT reporting centres for the third quarter of 2019, 2023, and 2024. Source: English UK

A smaller overall share of students means more competition

The context for English-language teaching has changed greatly since before the pandemic – and not only for the UK. International students have more access to English-language tutoring and online courses in their own countries, and it has become more difficult for many to travel abroad for education due to costs and visa restrictions in major destinations.

From a policy perspective, the UK is relatively more welcoming to international students in 2024 than competitor destinations Australia and Canada. Ms Gray plans to release a new economic impact assessment for an objective measure of how much the ELT sector contributes to the UK economy:

“We will launch this and our new position paper in Parliament at our 2025 Parliamentary Reception with government officials, media representatives and industry stakeholders. The government can make a huge difference to our success, as recent clampdowns in competitor markets have demonstrated.”

Ms Gray says a change in immigration settings could make a huge difference to the health of the sector, such as “a youth mobility scheme for the whole of the EU and other nations globally … [that] would be a game-changer.”

Top sending markets

Nearly a quarter of all student weeks are accounted for by the top 10 markets for UK ELT providers, and the top five sending countries are Saudi Arabia, China, Türkiye, and Brazil. Türkiye was up the most of all top sending countries over summer 2023, with 3,280 more weeks, while Italy contributed 7,610 fewer weeks.

Top 10 markets for UK ELT providers, Q3 2024. Source: English UK

For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • The four key trends that will shape international student mobility for the next decade Read More
  • China leverages higher education capacity with expanded TNE partnerships Read More
  • France reports more than 443,000 international students in higher education for 2024/25 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

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
Foreign enrolment in Canadian K-12 held steady in 2024/25 International student enrolment in public school boards in Canada declined marginally this year. The latest data from the...
Read more
UK ELT reports declining enrolments for first half of 2025 Extending the global pattern reported for 2024 of declining English language learning enrolments, English UK’s quarterly reporting for...
Read more
Global ELT volumes dipped in 2024 Globally, the ELT sector gave back some hard-won, post-pandemic gains in 2024. An annual study of eight top...
Read more
New analysis forecasts marginal growth for foreign enrolment in Australia through 2030 In the five years leading up to the pandemic, Australia’s foreign enrolment grew at an average of 10%...
Read more
China opens up to global STEM talent with new visa class The contrast offered by the global news headlines over the past couple of weeks could not have been...
Read more
US proposes new rules for student visas including term limits and other restrictions On 28 August 2025, the US Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule: Establishing a Fixed Time...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links