Foreign student numbers at UK universities continue to rise despite Brexit fears

LONDON - The number of foreign students newly enrolled in British universities continues to rise, defying gloomy predictions that Britain's imminent departure from the European Union would reduce the country's appeal as an international educational centre, particularly among other European nations.

Figures just released by Britain's Higher Educations Statistics Agency indicate that out of a total of 2.4 million enrolled at higher education institutions throughout the United Kingdom during the 2018-2019 academic year, 485,645 are international students, almost 6 per cent up on the figures recorded during the 2017-2018 university year.