Overseas Pupil Numbers
The high quality of British independent education is known and respected worldwide, and this attracts many thousands of overseas students from across the globe to study in the UK at British independent schools each year.
20,545 pupils at ISC schools are overseas pupils. The value to the UK economy of fees paid from overseas sources was over £350 million in 2007 compared to around £320 million in 2006.
In 2008, 8,882 new non-British pupils whose permanent homes were overseas joined ISC schools. Approximately one third of these were from Hong Kong and China and another third were from Europe. In addition, 1,609 British pupils whose parents lived abroad (excluding HM Forces) also joined ISC schools.
The breakdown by country of pupils in 2008 whose permanent homes were overseas is as follows:
Overseas pupils whose
permanent homes were in: |
New pupils |
Total pupils |
| France |
207 |
509 |
| Germany |
1,357 |
1,988 |
| Russia |
479 |
917 |
| Spain |
490 |
768 |
| Remainder of Europe (excl. UK) |
868 |
1,920 |
| Africa |
421 |
1,119 |
| North America |
424 |
1,014 |
| Central & South America |
246 |
504 |
| Middle East |
231 |
532 |
| Hong Kong |
1,620 |
5,612 |
| Mainland China |
1,281 |
2,419 |
| Taiwan |
74 |
210 |
| Japan |
184 |
556 |
| South Korea |
305 |
745 |
| Malaysia |
143 |
358 |
| Thailand |
132 |
392 |
| India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka |
96 |
273 |
| Remainder of Far East |
256 |
509 |
| Australasia |
68 |
200 |
| Total pupils from overseas |
8,882 |
20,545 |