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Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency published in this month’s British Council report, International STEM Students: Focusing on Skills for the Future, show that China was the main source of international students on most postgraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses in the UK in 2013-14, but that Saudi Arabia sent the highest number for medicine and dentistry, while the Republic of Ireland topped the list for subjects allied to medicine and veterinary science.
High numbers of Nigerian students were also present, forming the second largest overseas cohort at four out of the 10 postgraduate STEM courses evaluated, while students from India were the second largest cohort in three cases.
Veterinary science was the only subject in which none of the top four places was taken by an Asian country – after the Republic of Ireland, the highest number of international students come from Spain, France and Australia. In comparison, computer science and architecture, building and planning courses were subjects in which the top four sending countries for overseas students were all in Asia, Africa or the Middle East.