Imperial College London has one of the highest proportions of international students of European universities, according to new data.

An analysis by Times Higher Education found Imperial was the seventh most international university in the world, with 55.4% of the student body coming from overseas. London was one of the most popular cities for international students, with six universities within the top 20 ranking; in total, 72 of the top 200 universities for international student numbers were within the UK.

These results follow on from Times Higher Education rankings earlier this year, which ranked Imperial as the best university for international students in the UK, based on reputation, number of students and staff, and international collaboration.

Imperial has increasingly been focussing attention on developing global links in recent years. This February saw the appointment of Professor Maggie Dallman OBE as the College’s first Vice President (International). The College said the role was linked to their strategic aim of “strengthening ties with global partners”.

Following her appointment, Professor Dallman said the College had been “purposeful in pursuing international collaborations, working to address global challenges, and recruiting talented staff and students from around the world.”

Data released by the College has shown how the make-up of new student admissions has changed over the past five years: in 2011⁄12, 59% of the nearly-6000 students admitted were from overseas; by 2016⁄17 this has increased to 66%, with the number of admissions also increasing by over a thousand. The most common country of origin for new admissions is China, followed by France, Italy, and Germany.

The most international university within the UK was the London School of Economics (LSE), with 70.5% of their students coming from abroad. The American University of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, was the most international university globally, with over four fifths of their students being international.