Postgraduate Taught UK Update as of February 2025

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

• International (non-EU) interest in UK Masters study continues to steadily rise, reaching its highest point in almost 18 months. EU interest continues to trend slightly below last year’s levels.
  
  
• Autumn 2025 is now the most popular entry point for all audiences. Domestic Continuers tend to prefer Autumn entry in general and around 80% are looking at Autumn 2025 and Autumn 2026. For Domestic Returners that figure is 56% and for Internationals it’s 50%.
  
  
• For the second month running, we see the largest growth for UK Masters from Nepalese audiences. Mexico joins the top 5 list, with their interests shifting to the UK from Europe and Canada.
  
  
• Our Spotlight this month investigates the correlation between our Share of Search data and recruitment trends. We clearly see that as international interest in UK PG rises, Sponsored Study Visa Applications rise too - from a year-on-year deficit which peaked in July ‘24, to year-on-year growth in December ‘24 and January ’25. For other examples of what might be coming next for study popular destinations, head over to our latest insights blog post - Predicting the Unpredictable.