A 16 percent fall in the number of overseas students at United Kingdom universities has led to them lowering entry requirements in a bid to attract more British students.

The drop in the number of overseas students was triggered by changes to the UK's visa rules, which make it harder for people to secure a student visa, and almost impossible for them to bring family members with them.

With far fewer overseas students on campus, and with their fees, which are considerably more than the fees paid by local students, no longer fl owing into universities' coffers, the institutions have been looking for other ways to fill their classes. The situation has led to a dip in A-level grades considered acceptable for entry.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, or Ucas, which handles applications on behalf of UK universities, told The Telegraph newspaper many students are aware of the situation and are holding out for places in elite institutions that they would not ordinarily be qualified to attend.

Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas, told the paper many more students with firm offers appropriate for their qualifications have turned them down and are "in many cases trading up" to gain access to more exclusive institutions.

"Some of the vice-chancellors who I've had conversations with about this, they've definitely clocked that behavior, and some of the most selective institutions have talked to me about recognizing that and wanting to keep that option open for students," she told the paper.

She said the situation could lead to exclusive universities filling their classes with slightly less qualified students, and lower-level universities losing potential students qualified to study in them, and therefore failing to fill their rosters.

The UK government said last week changes to visa rules introduced by the previous Conservative Party government earlier this year has resulted in the number of dependents arriving in the UK alongside international students falling by 80 percent, from 32,900 in the first quarter of 2023 to 6,700 in the same period this year.

The number of overseas students applying for visas to study in the UK fell from 39,900 in the first quarter of 2023 to 35,000 in the same period in 2024.

Under the new rules, the only international students allowed to bring family members with them to the UK are those studying for a PhD.

Additionally, overseas students are no longer allowed to switch a student visa into a work visa upon completion of their studies, which has also deterred many people from choosing the UK as the destination for their studies.

The Labour Party government, which replaced the Conservative Party on July 4, has not yet said whether or not it intends to change the visa rules it inherited.