North Wales: The region where the most students leave Wales for study – Darogan
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North Wales: The region where the most students leave Wales for study

8 November 2023

Owain James

The region in Wales with the highest rate of students who leave Wales for study is North Wales. Unlike Mid Wales, West Wales and South East Wales, it is the only region where students are more likely to leave Wales for study than stay, although it’s pretty much 50/50, with 51.4% choosing to leave Wales for study.

This essentially means that for every student from North Wales studying in Wales, there’s another studying somewhere else in the world!

What explains this higher than average rate in North Wales?

Here are some reasons:

  • The region shares a border with England
  • For a relatively large geographical space, there are only two universities in the region (Bangor University and Wrexham Glyndŵr University). Those looking to stay ‘local’ may already need to travel quite far!
  • It is tantalising close to having a third university, University of Chester, which is on the border with England, and attracts a large number of students from North Wales
  • There is a strong draw to two large cities, Liverpool and Manchester, geographically closer to North Wales than any comparable city in Wales (i.e. Cardiff, which is actually a smaller city than Liverpool and Manchester). The University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, The University of Manchester, The Manchester Metropolitan University (alongside the University of Chester) are the top five most popular university choices outside of Wales for students from North Wales for this reason. The University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, The University of Salford and Edge Hill University are also popular choices
  • Strong transport links East to West encourage travel towards England, whereas weaker North-South transport links discourage choosing Welsh Universities in the other regions
  • According to the Welsh Index for Multiple Deprivation, North Wales has lower rates of deprivation than West Wales and South East Wales (we considered deprivation last week, but to summarise, leaving Wales for study is easier for those who are wealthier).

So what does this mean?

I don’t think people leaving Wales for study is a bad thing (I would be a hypocrite if I did, as I studied in England for 10 years myself!) – and I certainly don’t think studying in Wales is a bad thing either. But I would say that this situation presents a particular challenge for organisations in North Wales, and for the region as a whole. Those who leave Wales for study are less likely to work in Wales after graduating than those who stay in Wales for study. As such, without intervention, the region is at a greater risk of ‘brain drain’.

But I also see an opportunity – the potential to attract diverse, ambitious talent with different experiences to bring back with them.