Results from the 2024 Chartered ABS Annual Membership Survey

The Chartered ABS Annual Membership Survey focuses on a variety of issues relevant to UK business schools. This year’s report presents data on student recruitment, government policy, strategic priorities, business school and parent university finances, and EDI.

UK business schools have reported significant declines in both domestic and international student enrolments for the new academic year.

• For enrolments of UK students, one-third of the responding schools reported that they were lower than in 2023/24.

• For international students, three-quarters of the responding Deans stated that enrolments were lower in 2024/25 than in the previous year, of which half said they were significantly lower.

• Looking ahead, nearly half of Deans expect enrolments in January 2025 to fall compared with last January’s intake, with a fifth expecting a significant decline.

UK universities remain heavily reliant on the income generated by business schools yet more schools are reporting reduced income.

• For three out of four student domiciles, at least 89% of the responding schools reported that their university’s finances were to some extent reliant on their ability to recruit students.

• In addition, for the recruitment of international postgraduate students, 100% of the business schools reported that their parent university was to some extent reliant.

• The financial challenges facing the sector are evident, with over a third of the responding business schools reporting a decline in income in the financial year of 2023/24. This is twice the proportion of schools recording a decrease in last year’s survey.

• An increasing number of schools have cut spending, with the proportion reporting reduced expenditure rising to 47% from 6% in the 2023 survey.

The UK business school sector has been impacted by government changes to visa policy in the last year but is supportive of a robust immigration system.

• 84% of respondents attributed decreases in their international student recruitment to the ban on visas for dependents of students.

• The majority of respondents (53%) welcomed tighter regulation of international student recruitment agents as proposed by the Migration Advisory Committee in its rapid review of the Graduate Route.

• International student recruitment is currently the highest strategic priority for UK business schools, followed by student satisfaction, and financial performance.

Business schools continue to play a significant role in widening participation and supporting social mobility.

• Across the responding business schools, on average a fifth of their domestic students were recorded as having received free school meals prior to university.

• 57% of business schools reported an increase in the proportion of these students over the last five years.

View the full report here