New Report Highlights Impact Across the UK

New Report Highlights Impact Across the UK

A new report finds that international students are not only enriching UK campuses but also powering regional economic growth and innovation. This builds on the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Students’ recent report on regional impact, which found that international students deliver a substantial economic boost to communities across the UK.

The report comes against the backdrop of the Immigration White Paper’s proposal that in future, institutions will need to demonstrate they are considering local impacts when taking decisions on international recruitment.

We engaged extensively with universities and representatives from health, housing and business across the UK to discover what work is underway.

We found that international students are contributing to Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, startups and spinouts, helping to boost regional economic growth.

Key highlights include:

• 71% of live Knowledge Transfer Partnerships at the University of the West of England involve international graduates.
• 40% of student start-ups at the University of Leeds have international founders.
• Nearly 40% of UK spinout directors are international.

Universities are also working closely with local businesses and devolved government to align with regional growth sectors and ensure that international students can help meet local skills needs. For example:

• In Greater Manchester, the Combined Authority regularly presents to the universities on labour market trends and skills gaps.
• In Northern Ireland, there are strong links between universities and industry, including placements for international students to meet skills needs in the country.
• To address falling domestic nursing applications, NHS Wales and Welsh universities launched a 2023 pilot offering funded nursing places to international students. Graduates commit to two years in NHS Wales, with places adjusted to avoid displacing home applicants. The model is attracting interest from other sectors like physiotherapy and pharmacy as a way to fill workforce gaps.

The report showcases best practice collaborations between universities, local government, businesses, health and housing providers and transport networks.

Examples include universities working with councils and student housing providers to share their recruitment forecasts so they can best plan accommodation provision and working with local travel operators to manage international student flows.

Ahead of any potential new measures coming into place, there is a real opportunity for the sector to take a lead in promoting the good work and engagement that’s underway, and we hope the report will inspire ideas for other BUILA members.