Meeting the new international student compliance rules with learning analytics

From the start of the 2025/26 academic year, the government is raising the basic compliance assessment (BCA) threshold for international students. Completion rates must increase from 85% to 90%.

This change, first set out in the immigration white paper, sits alongside other measures such as higher enrolment expectations and lower visa rejection rates. Failure to meet these targets could lead to UKVI sanctions, recruitment caps, reputational damage and financial loss.

Challenges facing universities in supporting international students

This comes at a time of significant pressure:

• Universities are supporting larger, more diverse international cohorts, each with different academic and digital learning needs
• Entry and English language requirements have broadened in recent years, with more flexible admissions criteria helping to widen access
• Student services are being reshaped to balance resources with rising demand

Our report international students’ digital experience phase two: experiences and expectations shows that many international students arrive experiencing what we call digital shock. Up to a third say digital learning in the UK is “very different and impossible to compare” with what they were used to at home. New systems, authentication processes and platforms can feel overwhelming.

Traditional approaches to monitoring student wellbeing and progress, such as surveys, manual check-ins or late-stage referrals leave universities constantly on the back foot. These methods tend to flag problems only once a student is already in difficulty, which is often too late to make a real difference.

There’s also a reputational risk. WonkHE’s commentary on the immigration white paper warns that overly rigid compliance processes risk making students feel targeted and unwelcome. International students are already among the most likely to experience poor mental health according to a recent report on student mental health in england, with workload and cultural adjustment identified as key pressures. Compliance must not add to that burden.

Using learning analytics to improve compliance and student success

These changes don’t have to be a barrier. With the right tools, universities can transform compliance into an opportunity to strengthen support and student success.

Our learning analytics platform brings together data that universities already collect: attendance records, engagement in the VLE, assessment submissions and more. It highlights early warning signs, such as sudden drops in lecture attendance or reduced interaction with course materials. Institutions can also use a customisable traffic light system to flag students at risk.

By spotting these patterns early, tutors, advisers and support teams can step in with tailored interventions before problems escalate. This not only improves compliance, but it also creates a more supportive and transparent student experience.

The University of Salford said:

“What we've got is a fit-for-purpose attendance monitoring system that underpins our Home Office tier 4 student visa monitoring requirements [replacing a] paper-based system, students having to queue at the end of a class to get a tutor to sign a form, [or] students having to upload that into a separate system.”

Getting started with Jisc’s learning analytics framework

You don’t need to wait for a perfect data system. Our good–better–best framework helps institutions use what they already have:

• Good: start small with a single reliable data source — such as attendance logs or VLE activity (use it to spot early risks and act quickly)
• Better: combine multiple data sources (attendance, VLE, library access) to gain deeper insight into student engagement
• Best: as data maturity grows, move into predictive analytics to anticipate risks before they materialise

This phased approach makes it possible to scale at the right pace, building confidence and capability over time.

Next steps for compliance and student support

Now is the time to act. By using our learning analytics and attendance monitoring tools, you can:

• Strengthen compliance with new international requirements
• Support staff with clearer, faster insights
• Deliver a fairer, more personalised experience for international students which will benefit all students

Speak to your relationship manager today to explore how we can help you turn compliance pressure into a positive force for student success.