U.K Can Catch United States On International Student Numbers, Says Lord Bilimoria

The president of UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and chancellor of the University of Birmingham, says there are ways in which the United Kingdom can overtake the United States in the number of international students enrolling in the country.

In a new interview with the media, Lord Karan Bilimoria reminded that there is a “global race” for international students, and that the UK should not stop at reaching a target of 600,000 international students a decade early.

Lord Bilimoria repeated a call to introduce a new target of hosting one million international students in the UK by 2030.

He said while the UK and the US offer different experiences, they are both excellent, with the countries’ institutions often ranked top in the world.

He also added that the UK’s recently-reintroduced post-study work opportunities are a huge draw for prospective international students.

Lord Bilimoria also spoke of the transnational opportunities he sees in India, suggesting that Birmingham would “certainly be interested” in building a campus there in the future.

Others have recently formulated alternative options for the UK to head towards after hitting its recruitment target.

At a Westminster Higher Education Forum policy conference on February 8, former UK minister of State for Universities Jo Johnson spoke of ensuring sustainability rather than aiming for further immediate growth.