UK universities are the strongest at holding foreign student interest as tuition fees rise, data shows

A recent data survey by Studyportals shows that among the countries attracting the most international students, the UK stands out as the best at maintaining interest even when tuition fees rise.

Studyportals' data, published on 01/09/2026, shows the relationship between annual tuition fees and the proportion of prospective international students who would still consider a master’s programme in four major destination countries (the Big Four: UK, Canada, Australia and the US), which historically capture over 50% of the global international student market.

In the UK, universities continue to attract strong prospective international student interest even as tuition fees rise to around £15,000 (€17,440) per year, before dropping more sharply once fees go above this threshold. "This suggests…