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Great Britain remains one of the most popular destinations for secondary education, but over the past two years the private school market has been changing noticeably. New data from the Independent Schools' Council shows that the number of foreign students continues to decline, and the schools themselves are increasingly facing new challenges.
- According to the ISC Census 2026 survey, in January 22,941 pupils whose parents permanently reside outside the United Kingdom were enrolled in British independent schools. This is 10.1% fewer than the year before.
- The number of new international entrants also fell. In the 2025/26 academic year, schools admitted 9,433 new foreign pupils — nearly 18% fewer than the previous year, with the share of foreign pupils falling from 4.7% to 4.4% of the total student community.
Experts attribute the decline in interest to several factors at once.
- The main change was the introduction of 20% VAT on tuition at independent schools from the beginning of 2025. The current academic year is the first in which this measure is fully in effect.
- The tightening of visa procedures also had an additional impact. ISC notes that the combination of higher tuition costs and a more complex student visa process has likely affected the number of foreign families choosing British schools, but emphasises that it is impossible to determine the exact contribution of each factor.
The Boarding Schools' Association believes that tax policy is already affecting the international appeal of British school education. According to association representatives, some institutions have been forced to abandon boarding programs or fundamentally reconsider their operations. The consequences of these changes may continue to manifest for many years to come.
Despite the decline in figures, China retains its status as the largest overseas market for British independent schools: 5,576 Chinese pupils are currently enrolled, although their numbers have also fallen by 10%+. Other top source countries include Hong Kong, Germany, Spain, and Japan; Japan was the only country in the top five to show a small increase in pupil numbers.
Most foreign pupils come to the United Kingdom for the senior years of school: 50%+ are enrolled at Years 12–13, with around 42% in Years 7–11, and very few foreign pupils in primary-age groups. Almost all overseas pupils — around 93% — live in school boarding residences. The total number of pupils at schools participating in the ISC survey also fell, reaching 526,611 — the lowest figure since the pre-pandemic period.
The number of schools licensed to process student visas for foreign pupils also fell: whereas a year ago there were 634 such institutions, there are now 603.
Meanwhile, tuition costs continue to rise. On average, day school fees increased by 4.4% and reached £6,226 per term excluding VAT, while the average cost of boarding rose by 4.2% to £14,980 per term.
Interestingly, against the backdrop of declining international pupil numbers domestically, British schools continue to actively expand their overseas campuses! Today, ISC member schools operate 134 international branches educating 97,000+ children. A year ago there were 115 such campuses. British schools most commonly open branches in China; other popular destinations include the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong.
