The number of international students paying deposits to study at UK universities has “plummeted” after Rishi Sunak put restrictions on education visas, according to industry data given to the government’s independent adviser on migration.
Enroly, a web platform used by one in three international students for managing university enrolment, said deposits to a representative sample of 24 British universities had declined 57 per cent year-on-year as of May.
The data, shared directly with the Financial Times, will form part of a Migration Advisory Committee report set to be published on Tuesday into whether the government should continue to let international students stay and work in the UK for two years after graduation.