Leicesters EU students boost local jobs and the economy

EU students at universities in Leicester and across the East Midlands generate £143m for the region’s economy and support 1,341 jobs, according to analysis from Universities UK.

The new analysis looks at the impact of EU students across all regions and nations of the UK. Currently, there are around 125,000 students from other EU countries studying at UK universities, representing 5% of the total UK student population [the top 5 EU countries sending students to the UK are: Germany (13,675 students), France (11,955), Ireland (10,905), Italy (10,525) and Greece (10,130)].

University of Leicester President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Boyle  (pictured) said: “I am proud that students from across Europe choose to study at the University of Leicester and today’s figures reveal that the university and region have benefited enormously as a result. They make an enormous contribution to academic life, to the student experience, and to our economy by boosting regional growth and creating jobs for local people.”

Across the UK, EU students at UK universities generate a total of £3.7bn for the UK economy and support over 34,000 jobs.

Commenting on the figures, Dame Julia Goodfellow, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kent, said: “EU students make an enormous contribution to British university life and local communities. The figures show clearly that EU students spend money and create jobs in all regions and corners of the UK. EU students also make a very important academic and cultural contribution to university life, creating an international, outward-looking culture on campuses which, in turn, benefits UK students.

“Leaving the EU and putting up barriers to work and study makes it more likely that European students and researchers will choose to go elsewhere, strengthening our competitors and weakening the UK’s universities.”