Key Takeaways:
- International Student Survey Insights 2021-2022 revealed that nearly 50% of students consider the study destination’s potential in fulfilling their career goals when studying overseas.
- The 2022 International Student Barometer reported that 96% of students consider future career impact as their key factor in study decision-making.
- The importance of Earning Potential has increased from 90% to 93% in the past four years.
As countries slowly reopen their borders to the world, the number of international students going back to school is gradually returning to its pre-pandemic level in some study destinations.
While international education leaders are adapting to the changes brought by the pandemic, we cannot simply overlook the students’ deciding factors in returning and pursuing higher education abroad.
In the International Student Survey Insights 2021-2022, conducted by educations.com, achieving their career goals is the leading motivation of the students. Among the 10,000 international students across 181 countries, nearly 50% chose to study abroad considering its potential in fulfilling their career paths. Meanwhile, 47.01% of the surveyed students said that they prefer study destinations that will develop themselves personally and 45.78% wanted to experience a new culture or lifestyle.
Aside from that, the study also discovered that 48.08% of the students consider finding the right program first before choosing the right country and the right school. Also, 49.33% of these students are considering the post-study employment opportunities being offered by the study destination.
Regarding the universities, 72.32% of the respondents said that the overall quality of education at the school is important to them while 36.65% eyed career services and industry connections as key factors.
In another study from i-graduate’s 2022 International Student Barometer, results revealed that 96% of 98,200 international students across 15 countries reported that their key study decision-making is also driven by future career impact.
“Whether it is about deciding where to study, whether it signifies good value for money, or whether it is with regard to recommending an institution to prospective students, the student focus is on employability,” said Nannette Ripmeester, Director i-graduate Europe and North America.
Furthermore, the report also suggested that the importance of earning potential has increased from 90% to 93% in the past four years. Meanwhile, 94% of the students said that the reputation of institutions came second priority even for the same period while the significance of research quality elevated from 91% in 2018 to 93% in 2021.
Indeed, we can conclude that international students are focusing on their employability in pursuing their higher education abroad. Thus, study destinations and international education leaders must enhance in this specific area when designing their offerings to the students and reaching their international student recruitment goals. (SUNEETHA QURESHI)
SUNEETHA QURESHI
MSM President
Suneetha has worked for 15 years in the international education sector and 25 years overall for her work for other industries. As president of MSM, she fortifies its business development outreach globally, particularly in the face of MSM’s foray into edtech-based recruitment via MSM Unify. She preserves the premium, value-adding services provided to each MSM partner institute, including dedicated teams on the ground, agent management, lead generation and inquiry management, application prescreening, and student and parent support through pioneering pre-departure briefing sessions.
She has an impeccable track record of successfully launching the representative offices in Asia and Africa of many North American and European higher education institutions. Her key strengths include hiring, training, and developing teams as evidenced by the successful results of the dedicated in-country college and university client teams.
Suneetha also has taken the lead in developing several initiatives at MSM, including building robust standard operating procedures, the Rise ‘n Shine team engagement platform, and the organization’s data analytics and audit segments.
Sources:
- 2022. International Student Survey Insights 2021-2022. educations.com. Retrieved from https://institutions.educations.com/student-insights-2021#Demographic-Overview
- Pidgeon, Nick. 2022. 2022 The Global Student Experience. Tribal i-graduate. Retrieved from https://www.i-graduate.org/international-student-barometer
- 2022. Survey says career transition services are a major competitive advantage for educators. monitor icef. Retrieved from https://monitor.icef.com/2022/08/survey-says-career-transition-services-are-a-major-competitive-advantage-for-educators/