The line graph illustrates the changes in British students studying in five different cities – London, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Liverpool – between 2005 and 2019.
Overall, the London and Liverpool consistently attracted the largest number of British students, while Manchester and Edinburgh had the fewest. A steady increase in student numbers was observed across all cities over the eight-year period.
In detail, London remained the top destination throughout the period, with student numbers rising from just over 49,000 in 2005 to around 64,000 in 2019. In contrast, Liverpool stood at 14,000 in 2005, before increasing gradually reaching 21,000 in 2015. After that year on, this figure skyrocketed to 49,000 and overtook Manchester in numbers. At the end of the period, this figure increased relatively small to just below 63,000.
Manchester attracted significantly fewer students compared to the top two destinations, starting at about 27,000 in 2005 and increasing steadily to around 45,000 by 2019. Edinburgh recorded the lowest numbers of British students. This figure stood at just below 14,000, before decreasing to around 6,000, after which it bounced back to its starting point a year later. After that year on, this figure increased gradually to 21,000 by 2019.