Nepalese students could be a “critical source” of international students for UK universities following the ban on bringing dependants, according to a new report.

International student recruitment platform Applyboard  and found that the number of Nepalese citizens studying abroad has grown significantly in recent years. 

In 2023, almost 45,000 Nepalese students received post-secondary student visas to one of the “big four” English-speaking destinations (Australia, Canada, the US and the UK), up by 15 per cent from the previous year and 121 per cent since 2018.

In the UK, where international interest has shown signs of waning since the former government banned most international students from bringing family members to the country with them, more than 8,500 Nepalese nationals received a study visa in 2023, an increase of 83 per cent compared with the previous year.

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In contrast, total student visa issuance dropped by 22 per cent in the UK. Analysts attribute this divergence to the fact that Nepalese students are generally less inclined to bring dependants than their Indian and Nigerian peers.

“Nepal has historically had a low ratio of dependants to main applicants for student visas, especially in comparison to other major student populations,” the report states. “This lower ratio likely helped insulate Nepalese student mobility to the UK following the new limitations placed on dependants, whereas both Indian and Nigerian interest dropped significantly.”

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North America also saw significant jumps in the number of Nepalese students securing visas, with 15,732 new Canadian visas issued in 2023, compared with 6,095 in 2022. In the US, the number of student visas granted to Nepalese citizens so far this year has already surpassed the number issued throughout the whole of last year. 

On the other hand, Australia’s Nepalese student population has declined since 2022, which analysts say is due to pent-up demand after the pandemic and curbs on access to vocational education in both Nepal and Australia. 

A representative from Applyboard said that key factors Nepalese students consider when deciding where to study include the visa approval rate, with many “preferring destinations where they have higher chances of getting a visa”, affordability and part-time job opportunities. 

In the report, the organisation recommends tapping into “word-of-mouth” to attract Nepalese students. “Wherever most of the current…students go, most would follow the same,” the representative said. 

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Applyboard predicts that Nepal will one day “join the ranks of India, Nigeria, and the Philippines as major contributors to international education across the world”, with demand driven by the lack of quality higher education available in the country and accelerated economic growth. The country also has a sizeable youth population and one of the highest outbound mobility ratios in the world, with 19 per cent of tertiary-level students studying abroad in 2021. 

“Institutions and destinations that invest in Nepal will likely see dividends for decades to come,” analysts wrote. 

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com