More Students to fly Overseas, Driven by Employment Prospects: Survey

The majority of Indian education counsellors 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.

More than nine out of 10 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.

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The survey claims that 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.

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.

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.

“Employability has emerged as one of the most significant drivers for studying abroad for aspirants today. International students are increasingly willing to cross oceans and continents to further their career prospects. To ensure they get the return on investment they deserve, we must deliver programs that give them the career head start they need to succeed,” said Streatfeild.

Australia and the UK garner more positive sentiment than the US for its 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.

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.

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