Search
International students worth more than £1 billion to the city of Coventry
Thousands of jobs are supported across Coventry by the impact of international students
University news / Student news
Friday 10 July 2026
Press contact
New figures reveal that international students bring benefits of more than £1 billion to Coventry while studying in the city.
The economic impact of international students living in the city's three parliamentary constituencies - Coventry South, Coventry East and Coventry North West - combine to reach £1.156 billion, according to the report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Kaplan International Pathways and commissioned from London Economics.
The figures consider first-year international students living in the city and the impact they have across the duration of their studies.
However, while the financial gains from international students in 2024/25 were huge, there are warnings that this figure has shrunk since then and the city will be counting the cost in the future as Government immigration policy means fewer students coming to the UK.
Coventry South saw the second highest financial impact in the UK and highest outside of London with a gross benefit from international students of £1.118bn. Once the cost to public services of £97.2m is taken into account, the net benefit is £1.021bn.
In Coventry East the gross benefit of £81.7m and public services cost of £7.2m created a net impact of £74.5m, while Coventry North West’s net impact was calculated at £61m, from benefits of £67.3m minus costs of £6.3m.
The cost to public services includes areas such as housing and community amenities, public order and safety, environmental protection and education received by any dependent children – while international students also pay an annual NHS levy of £776.
The figures also show how the benefits equate per person in the city. The impact is £7,735 per person in Coventry South, £595 per person in Coventry East and £545 for each resident in Coventry North West.
Thousands of jobs across the city are also supported by the impact of international students with 7,745 roles supported in Coventry South, 565 in Coventry East and 465 in Coventry North West.
Coventry University is home to thousands of international students from 160 nations, while neighbouring University of Warwick also welcomes learners from overseas. Coventry University received The Queen’s Award for Enterprise - the UK’s most prestigious business award - for its success in building relationships with institutions and companies overseas while also drawing students from around the globe to its campuses across the UK. The award was one of the last Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II approved before her death.
The value of international students to the UK as a whole totalled at £40.4bn across the duration of their studies.
The incredible impact of international students on cities such as Coventry is not solely financial but is certainly highlighted by these figures.
Their spending across the time of their studies supports jobs in the city and up and down the UK, and the costs to the UK economy of welcoming them to our shores are minimal in comparison. International student fees also help fund the education of UK students on expensive to run courses in areas such as engineering and health. The positives massively outweigh any perceived downsides.
With fewer international students coming to the UK, Coventry University is taking its TEF Gold standard teaching overseas and we are preparing to open our second campus in Kazakhstan, as well as continuing to teach learners in countries including Egypt, Morocco, Poland and China.
However, the city of Coventry and entire country is increasingly missing out on the financial benefits of overseas students coming to the UK, as well as the cultural diversity and diverse knowledge which enrich and enhance our campuses and communities.
Professor John Latham CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Coventry University
This new report provides updated evidence on the substantial economic value that international students bring to the UK economy – value that is spread widely across the country. However, it also demonstrates what the economy stands to lose if and when this major export sector starts to decline.
The number of international first-year students coming to the UK has already decreased by around 54,500 (12%) since 2022/23 and is expected to continue to decline as key new policy changes – including the potential new international student fee levy – come into force.
Maike Halterbeck, Partner at London Economics
