THE University of Bradford says it is still one of the country’s top international universities, despite new figures showing non-EU students there have plummeted by almost 45 per cent in the past five years.

Figures released this week by the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that the university suffered one of the biggest drops in the level of international students since 2010.

Last year there were 1,090 non-EU international students studying at the university, which is down from 1,980 in the 2010/11 year.

But the university, which was named one of the world’s most “international” universities last year, says foreign students still made up a “significant proportion” of its student body.

Recent years have seen the government placing more restrictions on the number of international students who come to the UK to study.

Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, said: “I met with the Vice Chancellor last week to look at some issues the university faces. I’m very impressed with what the university is doing.

“We have to look at the impact of government policies on international student numbers. Britain is a world leader for education, and some government policies threaten this standing.”

James Pitman, Managing Director of Higher Education at Study Group, which released the figures, said: “What was one of Britain’s most important export sectors is now in decline, in direct response to the rhetoric and policy choices made by this Government. This undermines universities, but also damages local businesses which serve international students.

“Data shows that cities with the weakest economies are the ones that are seeing the largest decline in student numbers. Ministers indicate that they want the UK to be an outward-facing, export led economy, but they are doing real damage to local economies across the country by damaging our universities’ ability to export.”

A university spokesman said: “International students continue to constitute a significant proportion of the student population at the university.

“The university works hard to attract students from around the world and the value of a University of Bradford degree is underlined by the partnerships agreed with global institutions. Last month the university signed memoranda of understanding with four major Indian higher education institutions.

“In 2016 Bradford was named in the top 200 of the world’s most international universities by Times Higher Education, which said at the time ‘the top institutions hire faculty from all over the world, attract students from a global market of top talent and collaborate with leading departments wherever they happen to be based.’”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “EU and international students, staff and researchers make an important contribution to our higher education sector and we want that to continue.

“The UK remains one of the most popular destinations for students globally and we want this to continue, which is why there are no plans to cap the number of international students who can come to study in the UK.”