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Higher Education: Overseas Students

Volume 503: debated on Monday 11 January 2010

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many non-EU overseas students discontinued an undergraduate or postgraduate course at a higher education institution in each of the last five academic years. (309804)

The numbers of non-EU overseas undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled at UK higher education institutions are provided in the table. Figures in the table indicate for what reason a student left an institution as recorded on the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record.

Where information has been classified as missing the majority of instances are for students who continued into their next year of study at their higher education institution.

Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available on 14 January 2010.

Non-EU overseas undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments1 by reason for leaving institution, UK higher education institutions, academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

Reason for leaving

UG

PG

UG

PG

UG

PG

UG

PG

UG

PG

Completion of course

25,865

17,030

26,405

18,620

29,100

21,020

31,975

23,310

31,805

25,675

Other2

4,125

3,140

5,190

3,440

4,790

3,280

4,765

3,560

5,630

3,710

Unknown

250

165

300

240

220

180

180

160

170

115

Missing

65,020

81,655

66,415

82,515

65,100

83,365

65,980

90,645

66,845

95,695

Total

95,260

101,990

98,310

104,815

99,210

107,845

102,900

117,675

104,445

125,200

1 Covers enrolments to full-time and part-time courses.

2 Other includes students who left an institution due to academic failure or left in bad standing; left due to health or financial reasons; left due to other personal reasons and dropped out; left due to other reasons; were excluded, went in to employment or were written off after a lapse of time.

Notes:

1. Figures are based on a HESA Standard Registration Population and have been rounded to the nearest five.

2. UG = Undergraduate

3. PG = Postgraduate.

Source:

Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record