UK Student Population Statistics: How Many University Students Are There in the UK?

The UK had 2,863,180 higher education students in 2024/25, 1% fewer than a year earlier, yet the undergraduate intake is still growing. This guide brings together the latest HESA and UCAS figures and what they mean for brands planning to reach students.

How many university students are there in the UK?

There were 2,863,180 students enrolled at UK higher education providers in 2024/25, according to HESA’s Higher Education Student Statistics, published on 27 January 2026. That is 37,060 fewer than the 2,900,240 recorded for 2023/24, a fall of 1%, and the second annual fall in a row.

The headline total splits as follows:

• Undergraduates: 2,066,630, up 1% on the year.

• Postgraduates: 796,550, down 6%.

• International students: 685,565, about 24% of all students and down 6% on the year.

The rest, roughly 2.18 million, are UK-domiciled students (our calculation from the HESA totals). HESA reports that UK student numbers rose by less than 1% in 2024/25. So the overall fall comes from international recruitment, mainly at postgraduate level, while the domestic undergraduate base held steady.

A longer view

The House of Commons Library’s analysis of HESA data puts the UK student population at 2.31 million in 2007/08 and 2.34 million in 2012/13. It reached 2.90 million in 2023/24 before falling to 2.86 million in 2024/25. The Library notes that growth since 2020 was driven mainly by overseas students on postgraduate taught courses.

The UK student population is more than half a million larger than it was in 2007/08, even after two years of decline.

How many first-year students are there in the UK?

There are two ways to count first-year students, and they answer different questions.

HESA first years count everyone starting a course in the academic year, at any level and in any mode of study. On that basis there were 1.32 million first years in 2023/24, a count that includes postgraduates and part-time students.

UCAS acceptances count people accepted onto full-time undergraduate courses through the UCAS system. This is the closest measure of the traditional September intake. In the 2025 cycle, 577,725 applicants were accepted, up 2.3% from 564,940 in 2024. Within that:

• UK 18-year-olds: 289,200, up 3.5%.

• UK applicants aged 21 and over: 106,120, down 3.3%.

• International applicants: 74,660, up 6.8%.

UCAS acceptances have stayed between roughly 540,000 and 580,000 a year since 2019, with 2025 the highest point in that run. For brands, this matters more than the HESA headline: the size of each new cohort is stable, and the core school-leaver group is growing.

The 18-year-old entry rate

The share of UK 18-year-olds accepted to higher education was 36.3% in 2025, against 36.4% in 2024 and 35.7% in 2023. More than one in three UK 18-year-olds now starts university each year.

Where demand is growing

Demand is also shifting towards the most selective universities. Higher tariff providers accepted 187,900 students in 2025, up 7.4% and the highest on record.

On the international side, HESA’s 2024/25 data shows India and China together account for 47% of non-EU international students. Some smaller markets are growing fast: entrants from Nepal reached 17,385 in 2024/25, up from 1,165 in 2020/21.

More students are living at home

One of the clearest trends in the UCAS data is the rise of the home-based student. In 2025, 89,510 accepted UK 18-year-olds intended to live at home, up 6.9% on the year. That is 31% of accepted 18-year-olds, a record, up from 30% in 2024 and 22% a decade ago.

The share varies sharply by nation and background. It is highest in Scotland at 46% and lowest in Wales at 21%. Some 52% of 18-year-olds from the most deprived areas (IMD quintile 1) planned to live at home, against 17.9% from the least deprived.

Where the fall is coming from

The fall is concentrated among international postgraduates. Postgraduate enrolments fell 6% in 2024/25 and non-UK entrants to taught master’s courses fell 10%, while UCAS acceptances to full-time undergraduate courses rose. For brands, that means the core undergraduate audience is stable even as headline enrolment falls.

How to read these numbers

Three cautions help when quoting student population statistics. First, HESA and UCAS measure different things: HESA counts everyone enrolled at any level, while UCAS counts full-time undergraduate acceptances. Second, HESA revises earlier years when it publishes a new release, which is why 2023/24 appears as 2,900,240 in the 2024/25 release and as 2.90 million in earlier analysis. Third, “first years” in HESA data include postgraduates and part-time students, so the figure is far larger than the September undergraduate intake. We will update this guide when HESA publishes its 2025/26 data and UCAS publishes its 2026 end of cycle figures.

What this means for brands

The intake is large and predictable. Around 578,000 people were accepted through UCAS in 2025, and the number has been stable for seven years. A brand can plan Freshers activity a year ahead with confidence about audience size.

The first-year moment is concentrated. Much of that intake arrives within a few weeks in September, in a new place, setting up a home and buying for themselves for the first time. That is why Freshers sampling remains the most efficient way to reach a whole cohort at once. Dig In reaches 500,000 students each September through more than 1,000 halls, about 3 in 4 freshers measured against HESA first-year entrants, with brands placed in the Welcome Bag students receive on arrival.

A growing minority never moves into halls. With 31% of accepted 18-year-olds planning to live at home, a plan built only around halls will miss a share of the cohort that is rising every year. Pair the September drop with channels that reach students wherever they live.

The year does not end in September. First-year students set habits across the whole first year. A second touchpoint in January, such as Refreshers, where Dig In has 300,000 bags planned for January, turns a single trial into a repeat.

Audience size is the starting point. Knowing what this cohort buys and thinks takes first-party research: Dig In’s student research programme has collected over a million survey responses since 2016.

Questions brands ask

How many university students are there in the UK?

There were 2,863,180 students at UK higher education providers in 2024/25, according to HESA. Of these, 2,066,630 were undergraduates and 796,550 were postgraduates.

How many first-year students start university in the UK each year?

UCAS accepted 577,725 applicants onto full-time undergraduate courses in the 2025 cycle, including 289,200 UK 18-year-olds. HESA’s broader count, which includes postgraduates and part-time students, recorded 1.32 million first years in 2023/24.

Are UK student numbers going up or down?

Total enrolments fell by 1% in 2024/25, the second annual fall, driven by fewer international postgraduates. The undergraduate intake is growing: UCAS acceptances rose 2.3% in 2025 and UK 18-year-old acceptances rose 3.5%.

What percentage of UK university students are international?

About 24%. HESA counted 685,565 international students in 2024/25, down 6% on the previous year.

How many UK students live at home while at university?

In 2025, 31% of accepted UK 18-year-olds (89,510 students) intended to live at home, a record high according to UCAS. The figure was 22% a decade ago.

To reach this year’s first-year students in the week they arrive, talk to the Dig In team.

Sources

• HESA, via data.gov.uk, Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2024/25 (dataset listing) (2026).

• Accommodation for Students (reporting HESA, 27 January 2026 release), New statistics for 2024/25 academic year show overall decrease in student numbers (2026).

• Academic Cooperation Association (reporting HESA), HESA publishes first release of 2024/25 UK student data (2026).

• House of Commons Library (HESA and UCAS data), Higher education student numbers (CBP 7857) (2025).

• UCAS, End of cycle data 2025 (2025).

• UCAS, More school leavers living at home for university and college study (2025).

• ICEF Monitor, UK international student numbers fall for second year (2026).

• Times Higher Education, Master’s plunge 10 per cent amid record fall in overseas students (2026).

• Times Higher Education, More than half of disadvantaged students living at the family home (2025).