College international surveys

International Survey Report 2023

The International Survey Report, published by Association of Colleges (AoC), puts colleges’ international work under the microscope to identify emerging trends, challenges and opportunities impacting the sector. It had 40 responses from across the UK and covers the 2022/23 academic year.

Despite ever-growing interest in the UK’s international skills offer, there continues to be little information available about its scale and value compared to data for HE education export. This survey seeks to fill that gap.

The survey found that colleges are conducting a range of activities including overseas campus operations, delivery of training programmes for international partners, student mobility programmes, student recruitment on long- and short-term programmes, international projects and online provision.

In 2022/23, the average college international income (excluding overseas campus operations) was £800,000, while it was £614,000 in 2021/22.*

Colleges offer brilliant value for money to international students, with the HE fees charged by colleges at least half the international fees charged by many UK universities. It also found that international students have a big impact on their local communities, with a cohort of 30 full-time international students spending an estimated £321,840 per year in the local economy (based on a 36-week course).

Around 79% of colleges welcomed students from Ukraine, and colleges remain places of sanctuary for many refugees and asylum seekers.

The majority of colleges (89%) said that they worked internationally to provide student mobility opportunities for students, for example through the legacy Erasmus+ and Turing Scheme. However, 71% of colleges also stated that engagement with EU partners has decreased and 61% highlighted a decrease in the number of EU students studying in their college.

Around 63% of colleges stated that staffing capacity has had a negative impact on international work. The survey found a significant fall in the number of colleges with at least one member of staff dedicated to international work with only 21% reporting having a member of staff solely responsible for international engagement, compared to 72% reported in 2021/22.

The survey also found that colleges continue to face barriers to international student recruitment: almost most half (45%) cited student sponsor licence regulations as a challenge to recruiting internationally - a longstanding issue reported by the college sector - and 58% said accommodation was a key challenge.

*Survey data varies year on year depending on which colleges respond and the level of international work they undertake.

AoC International Survey Report 2023

The impact of Erasmus+ in UK FE colleges, An AoC report October 2019

A snap survey of college participation in the Erasmus+ Programme. The survey analysed the use of Erasmus+ by colleges, the difference the programme makes to the college community and mobility scenarios should the UK exit Erasmus+.

The impact of Erasmus+ in UK FE colleges, report 2019