Postgraduate Research UK Update as of August 2025

Our unique Pulse trackers and Share of Search data provide insights on thousands of prospective students interested in UK PhD opportunities. As of August 2025, we’re seeing that:

• International interest for UK PhD study remains relatively stable from both for EU and non-EU audiences. July 2024 saw non-EU interest reach its low point of the previous two  years, July 2025 brings us a very different story.
  
  
• In terms of specific regions, interest is rising from South Asia but with some drops amongst European audiences. We’ve changed the way we measure this: blending our unique Share of Search data with HESA enrolment numbers to uncover current trends for the largest UK audiences.
  
  
• Entry point interest pivots back slightly from the 2026/27 academic year toward Autumn 2025 as we approach the start of the 2025/26 academic year.
  
  
• Our Spotlight this month takes a closer look at PG funding preferences, confirming the importance of university scholarships in engaging audiences and exploring the funding options they seek. As always, there’s more information on the FAU blog.