Some 250 colleagues from 17 universities across Scotland gathered in Glasgow for the 2025 Scottish Universities International Group (SUIG) conference held at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre.
Key data on Scotland’s international recruitment landscape was shared, and conversations centred on how stakeholders can work together to enhance the success of Brand Scotland.
IDP data, presented at the conference, revealed a 16% decrease in Indian applicants from September 2023 to September 2024, while the rest of the UK (excluding Scotland) experienced a 22% decline.
Meanwhile, IDP applicants from Nigeria to Scotland dropped 54% in the same period
Sri Lanka (-80%), Ghana (-64%), and the Philippines (-59%) are among the countries experiencing significant year-on-year declines in IDP applicants to Scottish institutions.
Scottish universities are experiencing growth from China overall, albeit uneven. IDP applicants from China increased by 22%, while the UK, minus Scotland, saw a 3% increase. Partnerships, notably joint education programs, are becoming a key focus of Chinese student recruitment to Scotland, discussions at the Glasgow conference revealed.
Bangladesh (up 79%), Thailand (up 54%), Indonesia (up 49%), are among the countries showing significant year-on-year percentage growth in IDP applicants to Scottish institutions.
Elsewhere, key data highlighted the strengths of Scotland’s international education offering. Insights from IDP revealed that student satisfaction in Scotland is higher than other parts of UK, with Scotland scoring a satisfaction rate of 8.1 out of 10, while England scored 7.6, followed by Wales with 7.4 and Ireland with a score of 7.0.
In a positive trend for Scotland’s universities, IDP data revealed a growing number of students focusing solely on Scotland, rather than considering other parts of the UK.
The data showed that students applying to Scotland but not the rest of the UK is on the rise. In 2023, 12% of students were applying to Scotland but not the rest of the UK. This figure almost doubled to 23% in 2024.
England remains the most popular destination for students considering and already studying in the UK, according to data from IDP’s Emerging Futures 6. For applied, current and completed students who had selected the UK as their study destination, 77% said they were studying or intended to study in England. This was followed by Scotland (11%), Wales (5%) and Northern Ireland (3%).
Meanwhile, Scotland saw a slight increase in its share, rising from 10% in the previous survey.
In February 2024, Scotland’s first International Education Strategy was launched, providing publicly funded institutions with added value and a renewed incentive to build on their tradition of collaboration in pursuit of Scotland’s international education ambitions.
The strategy focuses on working via Brand Scotland and Connected Scotland, with sector stakeholders at the conference reinforcing the “importance of place” when marketing Scotland’s universities to a global audience. Partnerships and increased “collective activity” were highlighted as “mission critical,” especially for destination marketing in Scotland.
“Scottish universities are well known for working together,” Mike Bates, international student recruitment lead at Heriot-Watt University and SUIG Chair, told The PIE News, noting the sector’s size and scale – comprising 19 universities – fosters strong collaboration.
We are 19 universities but success of sector is something we all benefit from
Neville Wylie, University of Stirling
“We are 19 universities but success of sector is something we all benefit from,” reinforced Neville Wylie, deputy principal at the University of Stirling.
Brand Scotland’s new campaign launched in December 2024 and looks to convey the academic excellence of Scottish institutions, explained Tim Bisset, senior marketing manager at Brand Scotland.
“We also really wanted to focus on employment opportunities and post-study work and also bring out the fact that we’ve got an amazing innovation and research ecosystem. Running through all of these USPs is an underlying sense of our unique and welcoming hospitality.”
Karen Simpson, head of brand and marketing and Heriot-Watt university, commented: “It’s quite a hard job when you’ve got 19 universities to design a campaign that everyone agrees on, but everyone immediately loved this campaign. It shows Scotland in such a good light.”
For Simpson, the campaign succeeds in its “emotional pull” to students – benefits such as finding lifelong friends – backed up by “all the rational decisions” that make them choose a study destination, such as career opportunities.
