UK voted the safest place to study by foreign students

The UK has been voted the safest place to study for international students due to its ‘multicultural nature.’

The survey was conducted by the British Council and students from over 80 countries took part.

Over a quarter of participants placed Britain top in their safety ratings.

Online student forum, The Student Room also provided material from a poll on its website, which showed that Britain, Canada, Germany and New Zealand were perceived as safe countries for foreign students to study in.

The main reason why international students perceived the UK to be a safe place to study was because of its “very multicultural society.” This was voted most significant by almost 40 per cent of voters.

Other factors adding to the UK’s high safety status included strict gun ownership laws, good medical care and a relatively low crime rate.

“It is seen as a country where high priority is given to protecting personal safety,” said Elizabeth Shephard, research director for the British Council’s Education Intelligence team.

Countries voted the most ‘unsafe’ by students were Israel, South Africa, India and Brazil.

The UK’s Complete University Guide annually publishes data on the level of crimes likely to be of relevance to students – burglaries, muggings and violence.

For the first time this year it also published a ranking of universities in England and Wales based on the incidence of these crimes within five kilometres of campuses.

Outside of London, Manchester and Nottingham were ranked as being the least safe.

Bernard Kingston, founder of The Complete University Guide, said: “Our new methodology allows potential students to assess the risks for individual institutions with much greater precision, at least for England and Wales.

“It is clearly a matter of considerable concern when considering where to study as an undergraduate.”