30th May, 2019
According to the latest official higher education statistics, during the 2017/18 a number of 10,540 Nigerian students were enrolled in UK universities, almost 40% fewer than three years ago, says Studying-in-UK.org.
Enrolment data collected from 183 recognized higher education providers in the UK has shown that Nigeria remains one of the most popular countries of origin for African students enrolled in British universities, despite that their number has decreased largely in recent years.
As of 2014/15, there were 17,920 Nigerian students attending university in the UK. Three years later, in the 2017/18 academic year, the UK universities counted only 10,540 students from Nigeria. In other words, it meant that their number decreased largely by almost 40%.
Postgraduate degrees were more populated by Nigerian students during the past academic year, statistics further shows. But the gap in the percentage share between undergraduate and postgraduate students was small; there were 5,925 students studying for a postgraduate degree while 4,615 students were pursuing undergraduate degrees.
The proportional share between undergraduate and postgraduate students was different three years ago. Of the total 17,920 students, 11,055 were studying at the postgraduate level and the rest of 6,865 students were attending undergraduate courses.
As for many other international students, universities in England remain the main popular choice for Nigerian students. During the past academic year, 8,900 Nigerian students were studying in English universities. On the other hand, universities in Scotland counted 1,115 students, Wales 70 and Northern Ireland only 70.
There are many universities in the UK, but Nigerian students seem to prefer the most some of them. According to enrollment data, universities which had most students from Nigeria were the University of Hertfordshire, the University of Salford, the Robert Gordon University, the University of Portsmouth and the University of Leeds.