Growing Numbers Of International Students Look At British Unis As Alternatives To Trump's US
Trump has launched a string of attacks on US universities since taking office (Alamy)
4 min read
Young people worldwide are increasingly eyeing UK universities as an alternative to studying in the United States, new data suggests.
The findings published this week come as Donald Trump's face-off with the US higher education sector rages on.
The proportion of students around the world, including those in the US, registering an interest in British alternatives while searching for US bachelor’s and master’s degrees has risen by six per cent year-on-year, according to data published by global search platform Studyportals.
Fewer students worldwide, including those based in the US, are looking to the country as a possible study destination. According to Studyportals data, interest in studying in the US has dropped to its lowest level since the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Studyportals said that the impact of policies brought in by the Trump administration on how students see the US as a potential place to study rivals that of the pandemic.
Interest in US bachelor's and master's degrees from prospective international students outside the country, measured by pageviews, fell by 50 per cent between January and the end of April, from 53,452 weekly pageviews to 26,135.
It is not just international students who seem to be finding the idea of studying in the US less appealing.
Studyportals data showed that interest from young Americans in US degrees dropped 20.5 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, from 128,564 to 102,151.
The platform told PoliticsHome that the UK "is going head-to-head with the US in the global battle for international students".
The findings could embolden UK higher education institutions as the sector continues to grapple with severe financial pressures, worsened by a fall-off in the number of international students attending in recent years following a tightening of visa rules.
Over the past 12 months, 19.4m student sessions on Studyportals, measured in pageviews, looked at bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the US, with 1.7m also looking at universities in the UK.
While in the previous year, a higher 23.8m sessions were recorded, a lower proportion of those (2.01m) were also looking at UK institutions.
The total overlap rose from 8.46 per cent to 8.96 per cent — a rise of 6 per cent.
The universities watchdog told PoliticsHome earlier this year that institutions in England "might see opportunities" to recruit students and staff from the US following Trump's return to the White House.
Since returning to power, Trump has launched a crackdown on diversity practices in settings including universities, which in turn has resulted in an escalating legal battle with Harvard. The president recently attempted to halt the institution's hiring of international students, but the move was later blocked by a US federal judge.
His administration has also ordered US embassies to pause appointments for overseas student visas as it prepares to step up social media vetting of applicants.
The watchdog was echoed by a former universities minister, Tory peer David Willetts, who said that the higher education sector should "take every advantage" in competition for international students if Trump's victory triggered a surge in young Americans looking to study abroad.
However, under new restrictions being introduced by the Labour government, UK universities will find it harder to recruit students from overseas.
The Immigration White Paper, published earlier this month, said the time that graduates can remain in the UK after completing their studies before landing a skilled job would be reduced from two years to 18 months.
The government is also exploring a new levy on overseas students, adding that it would reinvest money raised "into the higher education and skills system".
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today said that the unstable climate in the US could provide an opportunity for the English capital in areas like higher education.
Speaking to businesses on Thursday, Khan said that for universities in the UK, "fundamental values like the rule of law and being open to talent from around the world are equally becoming valuable selling points".
Other countries are also seeing the potential benefits of the US losing its appeal as a place to study, the Studyportal data suggests.
Between January and April of this year, the Republic of Ireland has seen interest from American students jump by 63 per cent compared with the same period in 2024, while Switzerland, Sweden, and Spain have seen gains between 25 to 30 per cent.
