A record hike in the number of Indian students choosing London universities has resulted in India regaining the third spot in the UK capital’s overseas students tally, after China and the US. According to an analysis of new data from the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) released on Wednesday, Indian student numbers in London grew by 34.7 percent in 2018-19, marking the largest numbers since 2011-12.

It marks an impressive period of growth for India, which returned to being London’s third-largest international student market after falling to the fourth position three years earlier, said London and Partners, the Mayor of London’s official promotional agency.

Applications may have been encouraged by the recent reintroduction of the two-year post-study visa for international students by the UK government, allowing overseas graduates a longer period of time to look for employment after their studies, it noted.

The data reveals the total number of international students at London’s universities in 2018-19 was 125,035, up 5.8 per cent from 2017-18 and a rise on last year’s growth rate of 5.3 per cent.

China remains London’s largest international student market, with 25,650 students enrolled at universities in the UK capital. The US saw growth of 5.8 per cent to maintain its rank of second place with 7,460 students, followed by India at 7,158 students.

Source: PTI