More Students To Fly Overseas, Driven By Employment Prospects: Survey

The majority of Indian education counsellors and agents expect to send more students to universities in the UK, the US, Australia and Canada in the 2022-23 academic year than in 2021-22, a global survey by INTO University Partnerships shows.

Participation

A total of 104 Indian recruitment agents participated in one of the biggest global surveys of its kind, carried out in May 2022. From Indonesia to Brazil, 1,473 agents from over 80 countries took part in the research.

Key Findings

More than nine out of ten Indian agents (93 per cent) expect to send more students to the UK in the upcoming academic year than they did last year, with nearly two-thirds expecting to send significantly more. Meanwhile, 71 per cent expect to send more students to Australia, 87 per cent to Canada and 92 per cent to the US. 

The study abroad demands confidence among Indian education agents is higher than the global average. More than four out of five agents globally — 82 per cent — expect to send more students to the UK in the upcoming academic year than they did last year. Meanwhile, 63 per cent expect to send more students to Australia, 59 per cent to Canada and 65 per cent to the US. 

The global results represent a significant improvement in agent expectations this time last year when Covid-19-related travel restrictions continued to pose significant barriers to international education. Just 65 per cent of agents expected to send more students to the UK last year, 44 per cent to Canada, 34 per cent to the US and 27 per cent to Australia, according to a spring 2021 INTO survey.

“The survey findings indicate the green shoots of recovery for the whole international education sector after more than two years of disruption. Our research clearly shows students are increasingly confident that now is the time to pursue an international degree, and more than ever they are looking for quality education to transform their lives,” said Olivia Streatfeild, CEO of INTO University Partnerships.

In addition, 84 per cent of agents surveyed say the international students with whom they work are primarily motivated to study abroad because of better quality of education available in major destination countries, 78 per cent say they are motivated by improved employment prospects and 58 per cent by the chance to gain an international perspective. More than half of agent respondents say their students are motivated to study abroad by post-study work opportunities.

Millions of students leave their home countries to study abroad each year. In 2019, 6.2 million students crossed borders for higher education. The global economic impact of international students is estimated to be in excess of US$350 billion.

Indian agents continue to be overwhelmingly positive about the UK as a study destination. 93 per cent of the agents feel positive about the country’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, 98 per cent feel positive about how welcoming and safe it is for international students and 95 per cent feel positive about how open its borders are to international students.

Positive sentiment toward the US and Australia trails that toward the UK in some areas, but the difference has narrowed since 2021.  A total of 70 per cent of agents feel positive about how Australia has handled the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst 80 per cent feel positive about the approach in the US. The US fairs well with Indian agents when it comes to how welcoming and safe it is for international students, with 89 per cent of agents feeling positive. In the wake of border closures lasting most of the pandemic, Australia falls behind in terms of how open its borders are to international students, with only 75 per cent of agents feeling positive. However, agents clearly anticipate a rebound in student demand for Australian universities.

Australia and the UK garner more positive sentiment than the US for their post-study work opportunities, with 96 per cent of agents feeling positive for both. Meanwhile, 89 per cent feel positive about those in the US. 

Highlights from the survey:

• 93 per cent of Indian education agents expect to send more students to the UK in the coming year than they did the previous year.
• 92 per cent of Indian education agents expect to send more students to the US in the coming year than they did the previous year.
• 71 per cent of Indian education agents expect to send more students to Australia in the coming year than they did the previous year.
• 87 per cent of Indian education agents expect to send more students to Canada in the coming year than they did the previous year.
• 84 per cent of Indian education agents say students are motivated to study abroad because of a better quality of education, 78 per cent say that the students are motivated by better employment prospects, 58 per cent say they are motivated by the chance to gain an international perspective and 56 per cent say they are motivated by post-study work opportunities.
• 93 per cent of Indian education agents feel positive about how the UK has handled the pandemic, 98 per cent feel positive about how welcoming and safe it is for international students and 95 per cent feel positive about how open its borders are for international students.
• 80 per cent of Indian education agents feel positive about how the US has handled the pandemic, 89 per cent feel positive about how welcoming and safe it is for international students and 91 per cent feel positive about how open its borders are for international students.
• 70 per cent of Indian education agents feel positive about how Australia has handled the pandemic, 93 per cent feel positive about how welcoming and safe it is for international students and 75 per cent feel positive about how open its borders are for international students.
• 96 per cent of Indian education agents feel positive about post-study work opportunities in Australia, 96 per cent feel positive about those in the UK and 89 per cent feel positive about those in the US.