THE BRITISH government today (16) has unveiled new plans to raise the number of international students studying in the UK by more than 30 per cent to boost education exports income to £35 billion.

The new ‘International Education Strategy’ has been published by the education secretary Damian Hinds and international trade secretary Liam Fox aims to cement Britain’s leading role in the global market as it prepares to leave the EU and maximise the benefits to both the UK and students from abroad.

The strategy aims to increase the total number of non UK students during the year to 600,000 and generate £35bn through education exports by 2030- a rise of 75 per cent.

The plans focus on not only retaining existing markets such as Europe, but raising the profile of the education sector in global markets such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

“As we prepare to leave the EU it is more important than ever to reach out to our global partners and maximise the potential of our best assets – that includes our education offer and the international students this attracts,” Hinds said.

The UK currently hosts around 460,000 international higher education students.

The education sector generates approximately £20bn a year through education exports and transnational activity, which includes income from international students, English language training, education providers setting up sites overseas, and many others.

The latest strategy includes a number of measures to help the sector maximise the potential of UK education exports abroad.