HC Deb 15 July 1981 vol 8 cc381-2W
Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many overseas students applied for courses at British universities (a) in the current year and (b) in each of the previous three years.

Dr. Boyson

By 31 March 1981 the Universities Central Council on Admissions had received 13,292 applications from overseas candidates for undergraduate level courses in United Kingdom universities starting this autumn. By the same date in 1980, 20,528 such applications had been received and the overall total for the year including late applications was 21,105. Total overseas applications for entry in 1979–80 and 1978–79 were 24,134 and 22,918 respectively. Those figures do not cover postgraduate courses or some short full-time courses not of degree standard for which applications are made directly to the university concerned. In 1980 enrolments on short courses of this type accounted for over one-fifth of all overseas new entrants to undergraduate courses.