Europe and Asia gain as ‘big four’ lose international students

The “big four” international student destinations have experienced a substantial drop in student recruitment under stricter immigration policies, while universities in continental Europe and Asia report growing enrolments, according to a survey.

Visa constraints and other restrictive government policies were the “single biggest obstacle” to international student recruitment, pushing students away from Australia, Canada, the UK and the US and towards Asia and Europe, according to the Global Enrolment Benchmark Survey, which involved more than 400 universities from 63 countries.

Sixty-two per cent of universities in the “big four” registered a decline in international postgraduate enrolments between August and October 2026, compared with 27 per cent of institutions elsewhere, according to the survey, which was carried out by Studyportals, the Association of International Educators and the Oxford Test of English.

The UK reported the sharpest drop in international postgraduate enrolments. Four in five institutions, or 79 per cent, in the country recorded lower postgraduate recruitment, up from 50 per cent a year ago. Forty-three per cent of UK institutions reported reduced undergraduate enrolments.

“Visa restrictions had the most negative influence on enrolments, along with cost of living globally and shifting policy changes,” a UK university respondent told the survey. Another cited “growth in visa refusals based on subjective credibility interviews, particularly in light of new [Basic Compliance Assessment] metrics”, referring to Home Office compliance thresholds.

In the US, where the Trump administration has introduced several new restrictive immigration policies affecting international students, the report shows a 59 per cent drop in postgraduate enrolments. “This marks a third difficult autumn in a row. US institutions are also the most pessimistic, [and] 37 per cent expect a decline in enrolments for the same intake next year,” the report says.

One US university told the survey of “staffing issues that resulted in a lack of attention to incoming students”, while another said more competition from other institutions also influenced international student numbers.

To the north of the US, however, Canada showed signs of stabilisation after two years of steep declines. Institutions reported average falls of just 4 per cent in undergraduate and 3 per cent in postgraduate enrolments. More than half said postgraduate numbers were unchanged, according to the report.

The outlook was more positive in continental Europe and Asia.

In those regions, half of higher education institutions reported an increase in international students at the undergraduate level, with average growth of 4 per cent. Postgraduate enrolments rose by 2 per cent.

In Asia, 59 per cent of universities reported higher postgraduate enrolments, with an average growth of 7 per cent.

“The global shift in international student flows is continuing, particularly in postgraduate programmes – the very programmes that play the biggest role in attracting the talent countries need to remain competitive,” said Edwin van Rest, chief executive and co-founder of Studyportals.

“Asian and European destinations continue to grow, partly because they recognise the value of that talent. Canada’s stabilisation is an encouraging sign, with prospects for renewed growth, albeit from a much-reduced base. The message for host countries is clear: welcoming international students is an investment in their own future competitiveness.”

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com