UK: Rapid increase in overseas postgraduates

British universities have seen a rapid increase in numbers of international postgraduate students, according to a study commissioned by the Higher Education Policy Institute and the British Library. In 2007-08, half of masters degree students and 44% of doctoral students were from overseas, the majority from India and China. The UK has almost 12% market share of all international postgraduates, second only to the US.

Bahram Bekhradnia, Director of the institute, said: "This report of the current state of postgraduate education, describes a diverse, growing and successful sector."

More than 270,000 students enrolled for a postgraduate course in 2007-08, with the sector experiencing growth of 27% in masters degrees and 9% in doctorates. UK postgraduates, however, have only increased by 3% since 2002-03.

"The growth in overseas students recognises the strength of the UK's research base but also demonstrates the need to encourage more UK based students to undertake postgraduate study in the UK," Bekhradnia said.

Hepi is also concerned about the declining numbers of British students registering for courses in computer science and engineering where they are significantly outnumbered by international students.

India has the highest number of postgraduates studying in the UK and shows the most rapid rise. Figures from the student records of Higher Education Statistics Agency say that in 2002-03 there were 6,520 first-year enrolments; in 2008-09, the number had risen to 19,615. China's numbers show a steadier increase from 12, 485 to 15,350 in the same period.

Student numbers from Nigeria rose from 1,615 to 6,335 while those from the US increased from 3,960 to 5,025 and Pakistan from 1,105 to 3,850. Ireland, Germany, France and Taiwan also showed a steady increase. Greece bucked the trend by declining from 7,665 to 3,815 from 2002-03 to 2008-09.

The Hepi study found that business and administrative studies was the most popular subject area taught at postgraduate level, followed by social sciences. The proportion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM subjects, to non-STEM has not changed significantly in the last five years.

At the research postgraduate level, science subjects dominate, especially engineering and technology, biosciences and physical sciences, while social sciences top the non-STEM subjects.

The study also notes the changing nature of teaching. In 2002, only a small number of universities, such as Nottingham, were offering education to students studying wholly abroad through pioneering overseas campuses, and the Open University was the main institution offering postgraduate programmes by distance education.

Last year, 111 out of 166 institutions were offering some form of offshore education to more than 190,000 students, of whom around 61,000 were postgraduates. This is a rapid area of expansion for UK higher education institutes, it says.

Most of the doctoral students are to be found in the elite Russell Group of universities with the older established institutions attracting more international students despite higher fees. In Cambridge, 43% of postgraduates are from overseas and fees range from just over £11,000 ($17,230) to £13,000. Imperial College, London, has 34% of its post-graduates from abroad where fees are nearly £16,000.

Newer universities, former polytechnics, are attracting a good proportion of masters students. In 2007-08, Westminster and Northumbria were in the top 10 English institutions for the number of taught postgraduates, as was the Open University.

The Hepi report, Postgraduate education in the UK by Ginevra House, updates an earlier study published in 2004.

www.hepi.ac.uk
www.hesa.ac.uk
www.bl.uk

diane.spencer@uw-news.com