International students would once have associated seeing the St George’s flag with national pride, history and traditional ceremonies, delegates at the UKCISA 2026 conference – held at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow – heard yesterday.
But faced with a wave of anti-immigration messaging, many have been left seeing them very differently.
Saida Alimdjanova, #WeAreInternational student ambassador from the University of Warwick, said it was “no secret” that anti-immigration sentiment in the UK was rising, driven by hostile public and political rhetoric that was all-too apparent to international students both ahead of and during their studies.
She observed that in West Midlands, the St George’s flag had been seen prolifically on bridges, walls and other infrastructure during welcome week. She said it had not previously been as common to see them flying in the area and that they were often seen on the routes taken by international students travelling from the airport to their university.
While seeing the flags would have been seen as a celebratory or patriotic gesture a few years ago, Alimdjanova said that they were now viewed as intimidating, signalling “clear shifts in international students’ public perception of the English flag”.
Michelle Stewart, chair of the Duolingo English Test European advisory board, said there was a need for universities to “offset” the negative messaging that international students are picking up.
“We can get a new Prime Minister, great, but the political landscape is changing – political parties are changing,” she said.
We can get a new Prime Minister, great, but the political landscape is changing – political parties are changingMichelle Stewart, Duolingo English Test European advisory board
In the wake of Prime Minister Kier Starmer’s resignation this week, Alimdjanova said that political change could be a particularly unsettling time for students. She advised UK universities to ensure that international students “were not left to themselves” – particularly important during their first weeks in the UK when they were still trying to find their feet, she suggested.
She said institutions should remain vigilant to shifts in the public’s view of immigration, and “openly communicate these local trends” to international students so they could “safely navigate the political climate on campus and around it”.
Alimdjanova noted that universities had a duty to help their international students feel welcome on campus amid heightened public discourse about migration.
“International students may struggle to develop a sustained feeling of belonging without additional support when immigration rules and public messages keep changing,” she said.
While the UK still enjoys popularity as a study destination with students the world over, data suggests that price sensitivity and other factors may be driving them to enrol elsewhere.
Ben Jordan, director of policy and strategy at UCAS, said that while thousands of international students register with UCAS – signalling their interest in studying in the UK – far fewer end up actually applying to a British university.
“We know that students who are further away from the UK are less likely to convert,” said Jordan. He added that “financial practices also play a role”, with some international students rejecting a place at a UK institution because they have had a more attractive financial offer elsewhere, such as a scholarship or a bursary.
Jordan observed that UCAS data suggested students were leaving also it later to firm up their choices, as well as wanting the flexibility to change their mind.
Stewart noted that UK institutions must accept the “competitive environment” they find themselves in as students choose between an ever-expanding number of premier study destinations.
“We have to remember they have choices, and in the current climate, where it’s easy to explore options through AI or agents, they have a really good understanding of the choices available to them,” she said.
And she pointed out that institutions also had a role to play in explaining the benefits they – and international students – bring to the table.
“Quite often we say we just have to explain to people the financial benefits that universities bring, [but] it’s relational and it’s about demonstrating that universities can… prove that they’re in places that encourage social inclusion and where we can build trust at a time when it’s sorely needed,” she said.
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