UK CAS Issuances Up 8% Signs of Recovery in International Student Recruitment

What’s happening:
According to new data from Enroly, UK universities are seeing a rebound in international student recruitment for the September 2025 intake.
The number of CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) issued a key document international students need to apply for a UK student visa has increased by 8% compared to last year (2024).

In addition, acceptances and tuition deposits have jumped by 18%, meaning more students are moving from application to actual enrollment.

📈 Key Regional Trends:

• West Africa: +70.03% (biggest growth region)
• North America: +11.82%
• East Africa: +7.74%
• South Asia (India, Pakistan, etc.): +2.54%
• Middle East: -30.45%
• Southeast Asia: -11.2%
• East Asia (China, Japan, etc.): -7.61%

So, while Africa and North America are driving growth, Asia especially East and Southeast Asia is seeing declines, mainly due to higher costs and stronger local universities.

🎓 What It Means for UK Universities:

• Earlier processing:
  Almost half of all CAS letters were issued before August, showing that universities are working faster and planning ahead to avoid last-minute student arrivals.
• Better systems:
  Universities are becoming more data-driven, using real-time insights to predict trends, improve compliance, and manage student numbers efficiently.
• Government oversight:
  The UK Home Office is introducing a new Red-Amber-Green (RAG) compliance rating system, which will grade universities based on how well they follow visa and admission rules.
  Underperforming institutions might face recruitment limits.

🧭 Why the Changes:

The UK government wants to prevent issues like:

• Visa fraud
• Students not showing up
• Over-admission beyond CAS limits

For example, University College London (UCL) even exceeded its CAS quota this year and had to request additional capacity showing how tight monitoring has become.

👩‍🎓 Shifting Demographics:

• Female students now make up 44% of issued CAS (up 5% from last year).
• There’s a growing number of mid-career learners (ages 26–30)choosing UK study people looking to upskill or change careers.

💰 Market Insights:

• Postgraduate research enrolments: +132.5%
• Postgraduate taught programs: +18.9%
• Undergraduate enrolments: +5.5%

Around 70% of international students still apply through agents, but surprisingly, the top 10 agents had weaker conversion rates (acceptance → CAS) than smaller or direct applications.
The UK government plans to start listing the agent’s name on CAS letters for more transparency by mid-2025.

🌍 Why It Matters:

This data suggests:

• The UK’s international education sector is recovering after a slowdown in 2024.
• Universities are becoming more proactive and efficient in handling applications.
• Africa and South Asia are the main growth regions, while East Asia is stabilizing or declining due to changing local conditions and affordability.

Want to understand what this means for your UK study plans?Contact our expert team today for personalized guidance.

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