International students are turning away from the United States and Britain in favour of universities in Asia and continental Europe, a global survey published on Thursday has found, as tighter visa rules redraw the map of higher education.

Britain and the US recorded the steepest falls in international undergraduate numbers, down 19% and 13% respectively in the August-to-October intake compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the survey of 437 universities in 63 countries, conducted by Studyportals, NAFSA and Oxford Test of English.

Big Four universities feel the squeeze

Canada and Australia also reported weaker demand, while universities in Asia and Europe reported stronger growth in international enrolments. Across the four big English-speaking destinations of Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, 62% of institutions reported falling postgraduate enrolments, compared with 27% elsewhere.

Almost four in five UK institutions, 79%, reported lower postgraduate enrolments in the August-to-October intake, up from 50% a year earlier.

Visas and policy named the biggest barrier

The survey found that visa restrictions and government policies were the biggest barriers to recruitment. About 73% of participating universities identified restrictive government policies and visa issues as a significant obstacle, with processing delays, tougher screening and changes to post-study work rules leading students to defer or abandon plans to enrol.

In the US, President Donald Trump has tightened scrutiny of international students, expanding social media checks, revoking thousands of visas and imposing tougher rules on how long students can stay. US institutions were the most pessimistic about the outlook, with more than a third expecting enrolments to fall further in the coming years.

The survey was carried out before the 3 November midterm elections in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, although the president retains executive authority over visa rules.