ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAA
1
RANKINGDESTINATIONVISA & ACCESS SCORESCOST SCORESOVERALLADDITIONAL CRITERIA (TBD)
2
Rank
(per capita)
Rank
(absolute no.)
CountryRegionEase of student visa score
(UK passport)
[1–100]
Availability of short/long-term work visas for UK students
[1–100]
Frequency of UK HEI partnerships
[1–100]
Visa & Access
Combined Average
[1–100]
Cost of living
score
[1–100]
Cost of travel
score
[1–100]
Cost
Combined Average
[1–100]
Indicative Combined Score [Average of H and K]Additional criteria to be added
3
Turing Scheme 2023/24 (DfE/Gov.uk); HESA outward mobility; UUKi IFAF 2023
Turing Scheme 2023/24; UUKi International Facts & Figures 2023; HESA outward mobility
Turing Scheme; UUKi; HESA; Erasmus+ historical data
UN regional classification
FCDO/Gov.uk foreign travel advice 2024; Home Office UK Visas & Immigration; each country national immigration authority; Henley Passport Index 2024. Scores reflect ease of obtaining a student/study visa for UK British passport holders to study in that country (short placement <90 days AND long-stay >90 days where relevant)
Gov.uk bilateral WHV/YMS agreements; Home Office; Wikipedia Working Holiday Visa (verified against official national immigration authorities); US Dept of State Exchange Visitor Programme (J-1); BUNAC/CIEE/IES Abroad. Scores reflect availability & ease of work/internship/placement visas specifically for UK students with British passports, including bilateral Working Holiday Visas, J-1-type exchange visas, and government-facilitated placement schemes
UUKi International Facts & Figures 2023; British Council Going Global; QS WUR 2024 collaboration data; Research England international co-authorship
AVERAGE(E, F, G) per row — auto-calculated
Numbeo Cost of Living Index 2024 (www.numbeo.com); inverted to 1-100 scale (100=lowest cost). UK Numbeo index ~63.7.
Skyscanner/OAG avg airfare data 2024 from UK; Turing Scheme DfE grant rate country groups; IATA connectivity data
AVERAGE(I, J) per row — auto-calculated
To be completed
4
111IrelandEurope100958292.3379867.579.9
5
27MaltaEurope88506868.7498768.068.4
6
33SpainEurope85558876.0548871.073.5
7
42FranceEurope84609278.7389064.071.4
8
55NetherlandsEurope85588576.0388863.069.5
9
64GermanyEurope80559075.0398662.568.8
10
78BelgiumEurope84508272.0398964.068.0
11
86ItalyEurope80488069.3438664.566.9
12
99PortugalEurope84527269.3568771.570.4
13
1012SwedenEurope85508071.7388461.066.4
14
1116DenmarkEurope85527671.0368359.565.3
15
1214NorwayEurope85487469.0328257.063.0
16
1317FinlandEurope85487268.3378259.563.9
17
1420AustriaEurope80457466.3358459.562.9
18
1522SwitzerlandEurope84488271.378546.058.7
19
1613AustraliaOceania85978890.0243027.058.5
20
171United StatesNorth America68659676.3264234.055.2
21
1818New ZealandOceania85937885.3282828.056.7
22
1910CanadaNorth America83928687.0334036.561.8
23
2030IcelandEurope85455862.7308055.058.9
24
2115JapanAsia72878280.3563545.562.9
25
2228Czech RepublicEurope80457265.7538066.566.1
26
2325GreeceEurope80426863.3488466.064.7
27
2419South KoreaAsia76857277.7383335.556.6
28
2529PolandEurope80457466.3567867.066.7
29
2621Hong KongAsia88767880.7323433.056.9
30
2724SingaporeAsia80727876.7213226.551.6
31
2826TaiwanAsia78726672.0533142.057.0
32
2923IndiaAsia62287254.0824463.058.5
33
3027ChinaAsia50287250.0603045.047.5
34
3131MexicoNorth America82426262.0585255.058.5
35
3232BrazilSouth America78356258.3604552.555.4
36
3335South AfricaAfrica72406860.0684556.558.3
37
3434ArgentinaSouth America80305655.3704658.056.7
38
3536ChileSouth America78305554.3634252.553.4
39
3633United Arab EmiratesMiddle East82486464.7445549.557.1
40
3737ThailandAsia82305254.7703552.553.6
41
3838IndonesiaAsia72254848.3723252.050.2
42
3940GhanaAfrica68305049.3725061.055.2
43
4039KenyaAfrica70305250.7744861.055.9
44
4141TanzaniaAfrica68254445.7744660.052.9
45
4244CroatiaEurope82456062.3558067.564.9
46
4342MoroccoAfrica80305254.0687270.062.0
47
4443ColombiaSouth America82304853.3704457.055.2
48
4545MalaysiaAsia78305654.7643248.051.4
49
4646PeruSouth America82284652.0704256.054.0
50
4747NigeriaAfrica55225243.0724860.051.5
51
4848VietnamAsia75224647.7723352.550.1
52
4949ZambiaAfrica68224043.3744861.052.2
53
5050EcuadorSouth America78254047.7724458.052.9
54
55
SCORING METHODOLOGY NOTES:
56
Col A (Per-capita rank): Countries ranked by number of UK students on placements/internships relative to destination country population. Sources: Turing Scheme 2023/24 destination data (DfE/Gov.uk); UUKi International Facts & Figures 2023; HESA outward mobility data 2021/22; Erasmus+ historical participant data.
57
Col B (Absolute rank): Countries ranked by absolute number of UK students on work placements or internships. USA #1 with 2,057+ Turing-funded HE students in 2023/24; France, Spain, Germany follow. Sources: Turing Scheme (DfE/Gov.uk); UUKi IFAF 2023; HESA outward mobility.
58
Col E (Student visa ease, 1-100): Reflects ease of obtaining a student/study visa specifically for UK British passport holders to study in that country. KEY RULES APPLIED: Ireland = 100 (Common Travel Area, no visa needed at all). EU Schengen countries = 80-88 (no visa <90 days covering most placements; Type D national student visa needed for >90 days with €75-210 fee and standard documentation; some countries e.g. Germany require a blocked bank account = lower score). English-speaking Commonwealth (AU/CA/NZ) = 83-85 (clear online student visa or WHV route, low cost). USA = 68 (J-1 internship visa requires DoS-designated sponsor, SEVIS fee 20, embassy interview 60, sponsor fee, total ~8-14 weeks and £1,000-1,500 - no simple student visa for placements). Japan = 72 (student visa requires Certificate of Eligibility from Japanese institution first, 8-12 weeks). Countries requiring embassy visit + police clearance + medical = 55-72. Sources: FCDO Gov.uk foreign travel advice 2024; Home Office UKVI; national immigration authorities; Henley Passport Index 2024.
59
Col F (Work/internship visa availability for UK students, 1-100): Reflects availability of work, internship or placement visas SPECIFICALLY for UK students with British passports, including bilateral Working Holiday Visas (WHV), government-facilitated exchange schemes, and dedicated student intern visa routes. KEY FACTS: Australia = 97 (WHV subclass 417 - best bilateral WHV for UK: online, AUD 635, age 18-35, up to 3 years from Jul 2024 per UK-Aus FTA, no regional work requirement); NZ = 93 (WHV 23 months for UK citizens - longest duration offered); Canada = 92 (IEC - 8,000 UK quota, open work permit, 12-24 months); Japan = 87 (bilateral WHV age 18-30, 2 separate 1-year stays from Dec 2024, very easy online application); South Korea = 85 (bilateral WHV, no ballot required from 2024, age 18-35); Ireland = 95 (Common Travel Area - UK citizens have full right to work, no visa needed at all); EU Schengen countries = 45-62 (NO bilateral UK-EU WHV post-Brexit; EU-UK Youth Mobility Scheme under negotiation as of 2024-25 but not yet in force; national intern/trainee visa possible only via formal HEI agreement, not student-led); USA = 65 (J-1 intern/trainee visa only route: requires DoS-designated sponsor such as BUNAC/CIEE, employer training plan, SEVIS fee 20, visa interview, total ~£1,000-1,500 and 8-14 weeks lead time; well-established but highly bureaucratic); Hong Kong = 76 (bilateral WHV 12 months); Singapore = 72 (Work Holiday Pass 6 months, quota 200/year); Taiwan = 72 (bilateral WHV 12 months via annual ballot). Sources: Gov.uk; Home Office; Wikipedia Working Holiday Visa (verified against official national immigration authorities); US Dept of State Exchange Visitor Programme; BUNAC; CIEE; IES Abroad; British Council; Turing Scheme.
60
Col G (HEI partnerships, 1-100): Frequency of formal partnerships between UK HEIs and institutions/companies in that country. USA, Germany, France, Australia are top scorers. Sources: UUKi International Facts & Figures 2023; British Council Going Global 2022; QS World University Rankings 2024 collaboration data; Research England international co-authorship data.
61
Col I (Cost of living, 1-100): Inverted from Numbeo Cost of Living Index 2024 (100 = lowest cost). Formula: max(5, round(100 - Numbeo_index × 0.85)). UK index ~63.7. Source: Numbeo Cost of Living Index by Country 2024 (www.numbeo.com).
62
Col J (Cost of travel, 1-100): Combined cost and accessibility of travel from UK. Ireland/European neighbours highest. Antipodean/Pacific destinations lowest. Sources: Skyscanner/OAG average airfare data 2024; IATA distance/connectivity data; Turing Scheme DfE country grant rate groups.
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100