The most international university in Wales
8 August 2024
Owain James
The UK’s education system is world-renowned, and education has become an international export. People from all over the world come to study in the UK, and Wales is no exception.
The number of international students in Wales has increased over recent years. In the 2015/16 academic year, there were 22,190 international students across Welsh Universities, but by the 2021/22 academic year this had increased to 25,090 – a 13% increase in 6 years.
So which is Wales’ most ‘international’ university? Which Welsh university has the highest rates of international students?
Admittedly, the numbers change from year to year (and will likely be different and greater again for the 2022/23 academic year), but for the 2021/22 academic year there are two main candidates:
In terms of number alone, Cardiff University had the most international students of any Welsh academic institution, with 7,530 international students enrolled at the university.
Cardiff Metropolitan University, however, had a higher percentage of its students coming from overseas. International students represented a greater proportion of the university than any other in Wales, with the 23.1% of its entire student population coming from abroad. Cardiff University wasn’t too far off, with 22.2%.
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Why are international students drawn to these universities in particular? Here are some suggestions:
- Cardiff University likely benefits from its Russell Group status which helps with international awareness
- Both benefit from being in Wales’ capital (and use Cardiff in their names), the most internationally recognisable part of Wales (although Wrexham could take the crown soon thanks to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – I wonder if Wrexham University will see a noticeable increase in international students over the next few years?)
- Cardiff itself is a very international city, and has been for a long time. Cardiff’s Tiger Bay was one of the UK’s oldest multicultural communities.
- Travelling to Cardiff is straightforward. You can easily travel to Cardiff from London and Bristol (which have large international airports), as well as from Cardiff’s own airport of course.
However, I am sure there is a lot more to it than this, and that these universities also have successful marketing strategies to help attract international students.
After all, not only are international students drawn to Welsh universities, but due to the high fees they pay, Welsh universities are also drawn to them. The feeling is mutual.
The rates of international students in Wales are likely to increase over the next few years. They are already a part of the furniture, but are quickly becoming a core part of the foundations as well.
Employers in Wales who want to hire graduates will need to include international students within their recruitment strategy, if they haven’t already.
And this isn’t bad news. International graduates bring their own unique qualities and benefits to an organisation – something I’ll try and cover in more detail soon.
