ESN UK's ‘International Student Perspective UK’ is a research report evaluating experiences and perceptions of studying the United Kingdom.
The report provides an insight into the attitudes of international students both within the UK and studying elsewhere, analysing over 1000 responses from international students across Europe gathered in Spring 2023. Its intention is to provide a student voice to policy recommendations, examining areas where international students need more support from UK institutions, and what perceptions of studying in the UK look like after Erasmus+.
International Student Perspective UK finds that:
The majority of students (91%) mobile in the UK agreed that they enjoyed their time in the UK
Language was considered to be the most important motivating factor for studying in the UK among those mobile in the UK
Around one-third of students mobile in the UK strongly disagreed they received enough support from their host HEI in finding accommodation:
Over two-thirds (70.4%) of respondents who entered the UK on a Student visa found getting a visa to be a problem to some extent, compared to less than one-third who entered on a Visitor visa:
The majority of students who had not been mobile in the UK (53%) disagreed that they knew which programmes were available for them to study in the UK:
As such, the report recommends that universities must do more to support international students with accommodation, that the required length of stay for a student visa should be extended from 6 to 12 months, and that improvements must be made to ensure students are aware of current mechanisms to study in the UK.
To read more findings and recommendations, read the report.
For enquiries related to International Student Perspective UK, please contact liaisonoffice@esnuk.org.
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