In early 2020 there were major fears that international students would stay away from UK universities due to the pandemic. In July 2020 there were forecasts that 12% to 61% of Chinese students (who make up the biggest single contingent of overseas students) could cancel their places at UK universities for the following academic year.112 Universities Scotland calculated that a 50% drop in Scottish universities’ intake of international (non- EU) students in would have resulted in Scottish unive...

In early 2020 there were major fears that international students would stay away from UK universities due to the pandemic. In July 2020 there were forecasts that 12% to 61% of Chinese students (who make up the biggest single contingent of overseas students) could cancel their places at UK universities for the following academic year.112 Universities Scotland calculated that a 50% drop in Scottish universities’ intake of international (non- EU) students in would have resulted in Scottish universities losing £435m in 2020–21, and that there would be a multi-year effect.113 Type: conclusion | Number: 47 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: Higher Education in Scotland is, for the most part, a devolved responsibility. We recognise that the whole of the UK benefits from stability across Higher Education. We appreciate the importance of continuing to work closely with the Scottish Government as we recover from the COVID pandemic. There h