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Overseas Students: Student Numbers

Asked by Pete WishartScottish National PartyDepartment for EducationTabled Answered 8 September 2026UIN 19853

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions officials in her Department have had with a) the Scottish Government and b) representatives of Scottish universities regarding the fall in overseas student numbers since Brexit.

Answered by Department for Education

Education is a devolved matter. As such, the Scottish Government is responsible for higher education (HE) policy in Scotland

The independent regulator of the English HE sector, the Office for Students (OfS), is responsible for monitoring the sector’s financial position. We work closely with the OfS to understand emerging issues and risks within the sector. As HE providers in England are independent of government, they are responsible for managing their own finances. All providers must continue to adapt their business models as necessary to safeguard their long-term financial sustainability.

Our world class HE sector rightly attracts students from across the globe, who positively impact our HE sector, economy, and society as a whole and become global ambassadors for the UK.

The UK government’s International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith, is a member of the Scottish government’s International Education Strategy Governance Group and there are regular engagements between officials of both governments on matters pertaining to international students.

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