There are around 2.9 million students in UK higher education. This includes home and overseas students, those studying full-time and part-time, undergraduates and postgraduates and students in all years of study.

The UK’s unified higher education system, combining universities and former polytechnics, was established in the mid-1990s. Student numbers have almost doubled since then but there have been phases of faster and slower growth, and times when numbers have stalled or fallen.

UK higher education is diverse and there are many different factors driving trends in the size of individual sub-sectors. The sector has undergone substantial changes over the last three decades, including the introduction/increase in undergraduate tuition fees, shifts in funding for teaching, changes to student finance, ongoing devolution and increased internationalisation.

This short briefing looks at changes in the size of the student population overall and for different groups of students. The longer briefing Higher education student numbers includes more detail on applications to university, entrants, entry rates and local data.

Summary of key trends in student numbers and contributory factors

Late 1990s and 2000s

Growth largely driven by increases in the undergraduate population linked to a rising number of young people in the UK.

Early 2010s

Static or falling student numbers due to i) falling part-time home students, particularly on ‘other’ undergraduate courses, ii) a short-lived fall in UK and EU undergraduates when fees increased in 2012/13, and iii) a fall in the number of ‘young’ people in the UK.

Late 2010s and early 2020s

Modest, then faster increases mainly driven by non-EU overseas students, particularly on taught postgraduate courses.

Mid 2020s

A modest fall due to a partial reversal of the earlier increases among overseas postgraduates, following new restrictions on visas for work and dependents.

How has the overall student population changed?

There were just over 1.5 students in UK higher education in 1994/95. Numbers exceeded 2 million in 2000/01, 2.5 million in 2010/11 and peaked at almost 3 million in 2022/23.

Chart of the number of students in higher education from 1994/95 to 2024/25 titled "Student numbers nearly doubled between the mid-1990s and early 2020s". Student numbers increased from just over 1.5 million in 1994/95 to 2.5 million in 2009/10, they fell back somewhat in the early 2010s before increasing to a peak of 2.9 million in 2022/23. The chart highlights a change in the definition of the student population in 2000/01 and the inclusion of alternative or 'private' providers in England from 2017/18. 2024/25 data is provisional and excludes data from 13 providers.

Sources: Higher Education Statistics Agency, Students by level of study 2000/01 to 2024/25; HESA, Higher education student enrolments and qualifications obtained at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2006/07 (and earlier editions); HESA, Students in higher education 2000/01, Table A (and earlier editions)

 

The chart above highlights the most important breaks in the data, when coverage of students or providers changed. These breaks are not shown in later charts, which use the latest published data/definitions. Other more incremental changes to the data coverage, not highlighted above, include transfers of existing further education providers into the sector in the 1990s.

Phases of change

Alt text Series of charts titled "Four distinct phases in the student population since the mid-1990s". showing student numbers from 1994/95 to 2024/25 each highlighting a period in time and giving descriptive text. Late 1990s and 2000s. Annual average change was +61,800 students (+3.1%). The newly unified higher education sector expanded relatively quickly in the mid-1990s. Some of this increase was due to transfers of colleges to the HE sector. Student numbers continued to grow for the rest of this period. There was a noticeable slowing for a single year following i) the introduction of undergraduate tuition fees (1998/99), and ii) their near-trebling (2006/07).Early 2010s. Annual average change was -26,800 students (-1.1%). The growth in student numbers slowed in 2010/11 and numbers fell in each of the following three years before recovering slightly in the mid-2010s. The fall in numbers in 2012/13, when new undergraduates faced a near trebling in the fee cap (and wider changes to student finance), was the largest of any year since the sector was unified in the mid-1990s.Late 2010s and early 2020s Annual average change was +84,400 students (+3.3%) Numbers continued to recover in the late 2010s, before much larger increases in the early 2020s. The anticipated pandemic-related drop in students did not happen. 2020/21 saw the largest annual increase in students, at 217,000, and numbers increased further in 2021/22.Mid 2020s Annual average change was -37,100 students (-1.3%) Overall student numbers fell for two consecutive years for the first time since the early 2010s. The 2024/25 figure is provisional and will be revised upwards when all remaining providers submit their data.

Sources: HESA, Students by level of study 2000/01 to 2024/25; HESA, Higher education student enrolments and qualifications obtained at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2006/07 (and earlier editions); HESA, Students in higher education 2000/01, Table A (and earlier editions)

 

Trends for different groups

Each section below gives the longest broadly consistent time series available from published sources.

Where students come from

Chart titled "Student domicile: Home students down in early 2010s, overseas growth from late 2010s" showing the number of home, non-EU overseas and EU students in UK higher education from 1995/96 to 2024/25. Home students: Numbers increased from 1.5 million in 1995/95 to more than 2.0 million in 2009/10. They didn't exceed this level until 2020/21 and have remained around 2.2 million since then. Non-EU overseas students: Numbers doubled in the 2000s to reach almost 0.3 million. They doubled again in the five years to 2022/23. EU students: Numbers down almost 60% since Brexit

Sources: HESA, HE student enrolments by permanent address and region of HE provider 2014/15 to 2024/25; HESA Higher education student enrolments and qualifications obtained at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2013/14 (and earlier editions); HESA, Students in higher education 2000/01, Table A (and earlier editions)

 

Changes in non-EU overseas students have largely driven trends in the overall student population over the last decade. Home student numbers increased by 2.4% per year between 2015/16 and 2022/23 (compared to 11.5% for non-EU overseas students) and have hardly changed in the last two years.

The reduction in international students in the last two years followed the introduction of restrictions on their ability to bring dependents to the UK (in January 2024) and to switch to a work visa.

The briefing International students in UK higher education gives more detail and background on the subject

How they study

Chart titled "Mode of study: Full-time and part-time student numbers move in opposite directions from 2010" showing the number of full- and part-time students in UK higher education from 2003/04 to 2024/25. Full-time: There was steady growth in the two decades to 2022/23, other than in 2012/13 (when the fee cap for home undergraduates increased to £9,000). Part-time: Numbers were stable in the 2000s, but fell by 40% in the early/mid-2010s. There was some recovery in the early 2020s, but this has since been largely reversed.

Sources: HESA, HE student enrolments by level of study 2020/21 to 2024/25 (and earlier editions); HESA Higher education student enrolments and qualifications obtained at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2013/14 (and earlier editions)

 

The chart above shows that it was the decline in part-time students which resulted in slower growth in the student total population in the early 2010s. Full-time student numbers fell in 2012/13, but soon resumed earlier rates of growth. Nearly all the upturn in student numbers in the late 2010s and early 2020s was in full-time students.

All data in this briefing uses headcounts of students rather than full-time equivalents (FTEs). Changes in part-time student numbers would have less impact on the whole student population if FTE numbers were used, since part-time students amount to less than one FTE.

The briefing Part-time undergraduate students in England looks in detail at these students and possible reasons for the decline in their number during the 2010s.

What level they study at

Chart titled "Level of study: Similar trends up to the late 2010s, faster growth in postgraduates afterwards" showing the number of undergraduates and postgraduates in UK higher education from 2001/02 to 2024/25. Undergraduate: Numbers increased during the 2010s, fell in 2012/13 and 2013/14 and did not fully reverse this decline until 2020/21. Since then there has been continued relatively slow growth. Postgraduate: Growth in the decade to 2015/16 was relatively slow at 8%. In the late 2010s and early 2020s numbers increased by almost 60% or around 300,000. There was a 10% drop in the latest two years.

Source: HESA, Students by level of study 2000/01 to 2024/25

 

Undergraduates made up most growth in absolute student numbers up to the mid-2010s. The postgraduate population increased much faster in the late 2010s and early 2020s. The charts below break down entrant numbers further to illustrate different trends within each broad group.

Two charts under the single heading "Breakdown of undergraduate and postgraduate entrants" showing tne number of first year i) 'other' undergraduate and first degree students, and ii) taught postgraduate and research postgraduate students, from 2006/07 to 2024/25.

Source: HESA, HE student enrolments by level of study 2020/21 to 2024/25 (and earlier editions); HESA Higher education student enrolments and qualifications obtained at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2013/14 (and earlier editions)

 

‘Other undergraduates’

Most undergraduates are studying for first degrees. The remainder, including those on foundation degrees or short credit-bearing courses, are known as ‘other undergraduates’. The number of these students fell by 65% between 2008/09 and 2016/17. Many of these students were part-time and this was an important factor behind the overall fall in part-time study during this period (shown earlier).

First degree students

75% of the 1.9 million first degree students in 2024/25 were home full-time students. 73% of this group were ‘young’ entrants (aged under 21) who are therefore a key constituent of the overall student population.

In simple terms the number of young full-time entrants is determined by the size of the ‘young’ population and the proportion who enter higher education (the entry rate). Trends in both are shown below.

Two charts. The first is titled ''Young' age cohort increases to a peak in 2011" and shows the number of 18-20 year olds in the UK from 1991/92 to 2024/25 which increased from below 2.0 million in 1996/97 to 2.5 million in 2011/12, before falling back over the following decade. The second is titled ''Young home entry rate to full-time HE" and shows UK entrants to full-time higher education as a percentage of the average number of 18-20 year olds from 1994/95 to 2025/26. This increased from 28% in 1994/95 to a peak of 50% in 2021/22.

Sources: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Mid-year population estimates (via www.nomisweb.co.uk); Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), Undergraduate end of cycle data resources 2025 (and earlier editions)

 

The 18 to 20 year old population grew by 27% from the mid-1990s to 2011 (almost 180,000 per single age cohort on average), a demographic change closely linked to the rising number of births in the late 1970s and 1980s. This, combined with overall increases in the entry rate, was the main factor behind the increase in full‑time first degree students up to 2010, and played an important role in the growth of the whole student population.

The 18 to 20 year old population fell by 9% from 2011 to 2020 (around 75,000 per single age cohort). However, this was outweighed by an increase in the entry rate from 39% to 49% over the decade. The rate fell by almost two percentage points in 2012/13 (when the fee cap nearly trebled) but recovered soon afterwards. The increase could be related in part to the removal of the student numbers cap in 2015/16. The combined effect was that the number of young full-time entrants still increased over the decade, just at a slower rate than previously.

The 18 to 20 year old population started increasing again in 2021 and is projected to continue increasing until 2030.

The longer briefing Higher education student numbers includes analysis of trends in entry rates for different groups of students with a particular focus on disadvantaged groups.

Postgraduates

Students on postgraduate taught courses (PGTs, which are mainly masters degrees) make up the large majority of postgraduates. Changes in PGTs have driven trends in the overall number of postgraduates (and hence been a major factor in recent changes in the total student population). Their number increased by 61%, or almost 290,000, between 2017/18 and 2022/23.

The charts below illustrate that i) most of this increase in PGTs was in overseas students, and ii) changes in overseas PGTs were an important cause of recent changes in the whole student population.

Two charts. The first is titled ''Overseas PGT numbers increase by >150% in five years to overtake home students" and shows the number of home and overseas PGTs from 2017/18 to 2024/25. Overseas PGTs increased rapidly and overtook home PGTs in 2022/23, their numbers were very similar in 2024/25 The second is titled ''Rise then fall in numbers of overseas PGTs drive recent changes in the whole student population" and shows the change in student numbers from i) 2017/18 to 2022/23, and ii) 2022/23 to 2024/25 broken down into overseas PGTs and all other students. Overseas PGTs made up 47% of the increase in i) and 92% of the decrease in ii).

Source: HESA, HE student enrolments by level of study 2020/21 to 2024/25 (and earlier editions)

 

Student numbers in 2025/26 and beyond

There is some limited data on student numbers beyond 2024/25. These show a mixed picture:

Local data

The longer briefing Higher education student numbers includes data on young entry rates by region and constituency. Other sources of local student data include:

Further information

The longer briefing Higher education student numbers includes more detail and analysis on the subject

Readers may also be interested in the following Library briefings:

HESA publishes a wide range of open data on students. The admissions agency UCAS produces regular updates throughout the year on applicants to full-time undergraduate courses and data on the number accepted. All these are listed on its undergraduate statistics and reports page. Department for Education data on higher entry for young people from England are included in their Participation measures in higher education and Widening participation in higher education bulletins.

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