UK remains top study destination for Indians as applications increase in 2026

Indian students continue to show strong interest in studying in the United Kingdom despite stricter immigration policies and rising education costs, according to the latest data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and the UK Home Office.

The figures indicate that demand from Indian applicants has continued to grow even as the UK tightened visa regulations over the past year.

India remained the second-largest source of international undergraduate applicants, while more than 90,000 sponsored study visas were granted to Indian nationals during the year ending March 2026.

According to UCAS data released after the June 30 application deadline, 17,250 students from India applied for undergraduate programs for the 2026 admission cycle, up 6.9% from 16,140 applicants in 2025.

China remained the largest source of undergraduate applicants with 38,410 applications.

Overall, international undergraduate applications reached a record 148,350, marking a 7.1% increase over the previous year. Across domestic and international applicants combined, UCAS recorded an all-time high of 695,740 applications.

The latest figures suggest that policy changes and stricter immigration rules have not significantly reduced Indian students' interest in pursuing higher education in the UK.

Data released by the UK Home Office also reflected sustained demand from Indian students. Although the total number of sponsored study visas issued by the UK declined 3% compared with the previous year, Indian nationals remained the largest group of international students receiving study visas.

During the year ending March 2026, the UK granted 90,425 sponsored study visas to Indian nationals.

Overall, 409,954 sponsored study visas were issued, including 391,572 to main applicants and 18,382 to dependents.

While UCAS data covers undergraduate applications and the Home Office figures include sponsored visas issued across undergraduate and postgraduate programs, both datasets point to continued interest among Indian students in UK higher education.

The data also showed changing academic preferences among applicants.

Engineering and Technology recorded the highest growth in applications during the 2026 admission cycle, followed by Social Sciences, Subjects Allied to Medicine, Law, and Medicine and Dentistry.

In contrast, Computing registered the sharpest decline in applications. Smaller decreases were also reported in Language and Area Studies, Design and Creative Arts, Agriculture, and Combined Studies.

The shift suggests that students are increasingly aligning their academic choices with evolving employment opportunities and long-term career prospects rather than following previously popular disciplines.

Despite higher education costs and tighter immigration policies, the latest application and visa figures indicate that the UK continues to attract a large number of Indian students seeking international education and career opportunities.