It may be a far cry from her exotic homeland, but Mauritian law student Jade Ah-hen has settled comfortably into campus life at Birmingham University. The campus, with its giant bell tower and red brick buildings set in 250 acres of parkland, is exactly the environment she was seeking.

“In the movies, you always see university students on a campus. I wanted to have that proper campus experience,” she says. Ah-hen's main reason for choosing a British university helps to explain why, despite the dismal weather and spiralling cost of living, the UK is one of the world's most popular study destinations.

She says: “In Mauritius we have a national competition each year in which the first five school-leavers in each area of study win a scholarship to study abroad. Most of the winners choose the UK because it is considered the most prestigious place.”

Responses from more than 11,000 prospective international students from 143 countries to a survey conducted by i-graduate, the market research service, indicate that qualifications from UK universities are, alongside those from America, considered to be the world's best. Taking into account other factors such as personal safety and teaching quality, the students rated the UK as the most attractive study destination overall.

Will Archer, i-graduate's director, says UK institutions are using confidential feedback to tune in to students' expectations and respond to their needs. The service works in partnership with universities to disseminate and digest findings from its International Student Barometer, which last year gathered views from 90,000 international students in the UK.

Archer says: “It is very encouraging to see how responsive British universities have become to the needs of international students.”

Another key finding from i-graduate's research is that two thirds of international students choose a university rather than a country first.

Dominic Scott, chief executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs, says a big strength of the UK higher education system is the enormous variety of institutions.

Research by the British Council's marketing arm, Education UK, also indicates that lifestyle considerations are almost as important as academic ones.

The bright lights of London were a big draw for Sabrina Patel, an American student from New Jersey, who is studying law at City University. “For me it was important to be in a city environment and London is the best city to study in,” she says. Other students such as Sun Xiao from China, who has just completed a PhD in international human resources management at the University of Worcester, prefer the supportive environment of a smaller university in a more rural area. She says: “Worcester has become very special to me. People are very friendly.”

Many students opt for a city university outside London that offers them a less expensive experience - a big consideration given that overseas students spend about £50,000 on average studying for a degree in the UK.

Stephanie Tiew, a medical student from Malaysia studying at Manchester University, says: “I like Manchester because it is very cosmopolitan but also quite compact and relatively cheap compared with London.”

Despite fierce competition in the recruitment market, universities often work in collaborative groups to help students to select the institution that matches their needs and expectations. Vincenzo Raimo, director of the international office at Nottingham University, says: “We all want international students to have a positive experience. If they do, it enhances the reputation of UK higher education.”

Case Study

The most surprising aspects of studying and living in the UK range from the degree of freedom of speech to the scale of partying, foreign students say.

Hazwan Abdul-Rahman, a Malaysian economics undergraduate at Warwick University, says: “I was surprised by how liberal the society is, in terms of freedom of speech and what the media is allowed to say. I am comfortable with that in my academic work but find it harder to adjust to in a social gathering.”

Sam Teriverdi, an Iranian studying for a PhD in civil engineering at City University, thought he would struggle with the language. But he adds:

“It has not been so bad because there are lots of international students so the lecturers do their best to be helpful.”

Sabrina Patel, a law student at City University, was surprised by how changeable British weather can be. “It is so frustrating to look out the window and see the sun shining, but by the time you get downstairs to go out there is a downpour,” she says. “Anything negative about my experience is related to the weather.”

Jade Ah-hen, a Mauritian studying law at Birmingham University, says: “I was quite shocked by how much alcohol the girls drink here. It was quite an experience in the first few weeks when there were lots of parties.”

Stephanie Tiew, a Malaysian medical student at Manchester University, adds: “I thought everyone would be very academically driven but people here work hard and play hard.”

By Tony Tysome

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