Postgraduate Research UK Update as of January 2025

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

• UK Share of Search from non-EU audiences sees a further rise to continue the growth we have seen since summer, their interest is now ahead of where it was last year. Interest from the EU sees a slight recovery after a recent fall.
  
  
• We see particularly strong growth for UK PhD study from South Asian and East Asian audiences, with Bangladesh seeing the largest growth in December.
  
  
• All audiences are now targeting Autumn 2025 entry ahead of other entry points. Over 3/4 of UK Continuers are looking ahead to the 2025/26 academic year, and around half of Returners and Internationals are.
  
  
• Our Spotlight this month investigates how important flexibility is to older (and more substantial) PG audiences - something our data is uniquely equipped to explore. We find a strong correlation between age and interest in part-time study. To further understand shifting audience demographics, their study preferences and the opportunities these
  changes present, head over to our latest insights blog post - Optimising for What’s Possible at PGT.