Though enrolment in UK universities from East Asia remained stable, it saw a slight decline of -0.1% in 2022/23 due to a 2.6% drop in students from China, while enrolments from Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia increased by 3.8% and 3.5%, respectively.
Delegates at the British Council’s East Asia Education Week 2025 in Hong Kong heard that studying in the UK has become more expensive for East Asian families compared to previous years.
“East Asia as a whole is becoming increasingly price sensitive, and financing and affordability issues are at the core and are of utmost concern to most students,” stated Sonia Wong, East Asia regional research analyst, British Council.
“It used to be that education in the UK was afforded and affordable, maybe to the middle income, but now it’s becoming afforded only by the upper middle income, if not the high end.”
According to data presented by Wong, wage growth in East Asia has been inconsistent with fluctuations that could have impacted the affordability of students in the regions.
“If we focus on the last three years (2022-2024), we can see that real wage growth (in East Asia), a key measure of a worker’s purchasing power, has been below 2% in some markets and just 1% in many others,” stated Wong.
If we focus on the last three years (2022-2024), we can see that real wage growth (in East Asia), a key measure of a worker’s purchasing power, has been below 2% in some markets and just 1% in many others.
Sonia Wong, British Council
“In countries like Malaysia and Thailand, real wage growth has even turned negative.”
Wong explained that unstable wage growth and high inflation have put a UK education out of reach for many middle-income households.
“And then you have inflation in the UK which has been increasing since the last six months. In January 2025, the consumer price index rose to 3.9% making it the highest inflation across all G7 countries. This will weigh on the cost of living for many international students,” she added.
Recent data has also suggested that outbound mobility to the UK is being increasingly challenged by the rise of East Asia as a study destination.
Using UNESCO’s student mobility report, a British Council report found that there has been a notable decline in outbound students from East Asia to the UK.
Between 2002 and 2012, student enrolments from Southeast Asia in the UK grew at a compound annual rate of 5.5%.
However, between 2015 and 2019, this trend reversed, with enrolments declining by 3.2% per year, even before the impact of Covid-19, according to the report.
By 2019, the number of Southeast Asian students enrolled in the UK had dropped by 8%, or 3,500 fewer students compared to 2015.
Since 2015, student enrolments in the UK from Northeast Asia have plateaued, while China has been the primary driver of all enrolment growth from East Asia during this period, the report suggested.
As per the data showcased by Wong, the fall in numbers can be attributed to the rise in the number of East Asian universities ranked within the Top 50 to Top 600 globally by 2025 compared to 2015.
The biggest growth appears in the Top 100-600 range, suggesting that more East Asian universities are now competitive on the global stage.
Declining youth populations, rising demand for skilled professionals, and universities seeking global research ties have led East Asian countries to look abroad for international students.
“Governments across East Asia have set ambitious targets to attract more international students. Japan aims for 400,000 students by 2033, Taiwan 320,000 by 2030, Korea 300,000 by 2027, and Malaysia 250,000 by 2025,” stated Wong.
“The preference for staying closer to home seems to have emerged during the pandemic but is clearly persisting. This preference is further driven by the fact that high-quality educational institutions are available back home or within the region.”
But it’s not an entirely gloomy picture for UK’s student recruitment efforts in East Asia.
While students in East Asia are considering multiple destinations apart from the UK, UCAS applications from the region for the 2025/26 academic year rose by 3.6% compared to the previous year.
According to Wong, despite the concerns around affordability and rising options, increasing policy changes in other study destinations makes the UK the “most welcoming”.
“So right now, the UK appears to be the most welcoming among the big four English-speaking countries,” stated Wong.
“Adding to its attractiveness, some regional currencies (in East Asia) have appreciated against the pound – ranging from 3% to 9% compared to the highs of early 2024. While currency fluctuations are cyclical, for price-sensitive students, every little bit counts.”
