UK Student Visa Numbers Moderate in 2024, Indian Enrolments Down 36% Since 2022 Peak

The latest UK Home Office data show a clear moderation in UK Student Visa grants to Indian nationals after record highs in the early 2020s, although India remains one of the United Kingdom’s largest source countries for international students. Official visa data for 2024 show both an overall decline in sponsored study visas and a marked fall in Indian nationals over the past two years.​

Evolving UK Study Visa Patterns

Official data on falling numbers

In 2024, the UK granted 393,125 sponsored study visas to main applicants, a decrease of 14% compared with 2023, although still 46% higher than in 2019. Home Office commentary notes that, after a sharp post‑pandemic increase to a peak of 498,068 sponsored study visas in the year ending June 2023, numbers have been “decreasing gradually” through 2023 and 2024.​

Indian and Nigerian nationals drove much of the earlier growth, but their sponsored study visa numbers have fallen over the last two years. Between 2022 and 2024, sponsored study visas granted to Indian nationals fell by 36%, indicating a substantial cooling from recently elevated levels.​

Leading Countries for UK Student Visas in 2024

India’s position among top sending countries

Despite this decline, India remains a major partner in UK higher education mobility. In 2024, Indian nationals accounted for 23% of all sponsored study visas granted to main applicants, making India one of the two largest source countries alongside China.​

The Home Office notes that Indian nationals held the highest number of sponsored study visas in each period between the year ending September 2022 and the year ending June 2024, before returning to second place behind Chinese nationals in the latest annual data. In 2024, there were 102,942 sponsored study visa grants to Chinese main applicants, representing 26% of the total.​

Policy changes shaping the trend

The government attributes part of the recent decline in student‑related visas to changes in dependant policies. From courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, only research‑based postgraduate students can bring dependants, a shift that coincided with an 85% fall in visas issued to student dependants to 21,978 in 2024.​

Home Office analysis notes that these restrictions on dependants “may also have partly impacted the number of main applicant visas granted,” while emphasising that policy is only one of several factors influencing application volumes. The data further show that masters‑level study continues to drive overall demand, with masters students accounting for 65% of all sponsored study visas over the last four years and 80% of Indian students in 2024 enrolled at this level.​