61% students defer plan to study abroad due to Covid-19: Study

Covid-19 has left students across the world confused and unsure.

In an ongoing survey, British agency Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) which specialises in the analysis of higher education institutions, 61 per cent students stated that their plans to study abroad were affected due to the coronavirus.

Over February, March, and April, there was a steep increase in students stating that their plans had been impacted by the coronavirus. However, during June, July, and August, the results remained at a stable level of 67 per cent.

Established in mid-February, as of August 11, the survey amassed over 66,000 responses from prospective international students across 198 nationalities and territories, of which 11,310 responses are from Indians students.

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As per the overall findings of the survey, 55 per cent of students intend to delay or defer their plans to study abroad until next year. Six per cent of them no longer want to study overseas and 10 per cent wish to study in a different country.

In an ideal world, 29 per cent of the respondents opted that they would like to start their studies in 2020. However, when asked the year they expect to continue their studies, the percentage dropped to 19 per cent.

The changes reflect the uncertainty that many prospective international students are experiencing at the start of the 2020 academic year. “While this suggests that universities may struggle to attract students in 2020, it does demonstrate that strong interest remains and that, institutions should also be ramping up recruitment efforts for the second semester of 2020 and the 2021 academic year,” the study notes.

Online learning

The pandemic, giving a push to online learning, has made it the new normal for the education sector in 2020. Showing remarkable flexibility and innovation, universities across the globe have moved their operations and communications to online platforms.

An average of 38 per cent of respondents was not interested in studying their degree online because of the coronavirus. However, the proportion who is not at all interested has declined from 42 per cent in March to 36 per cent in August, pointing that attitudes may be shifting gradually.

A total of 45 per cent said that they would be willing to start studying this academic year even if they had to study online for the early months.

Tuition Fees

A vast majority of 79 per cent believed that the tuition fees should be discounted if they start their studies online until they are able to travel for face-to-face classes. On the other hand, eight per cent said that it should remain the same.

Prospective international students expect a significant discount. The higher level of responses ranged between the discount per cent of 21-50, with 21 per cent of the respondents wanting 21-30 per cent discount on the tuition fees.

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According to the QS coronavirus university survey, 41 per cent respondents plan to study at an undergraduate level, 35 per cent at a postgraduate by coursework level, 19 per cent at a postgraduate by research level, and five per cent seek to study either English language studies, a foundation course, or vocational education and training.

The majority of respondents were interested in studying Business and Management (22 per cent), followed by Engineering and Technology (20 per cent), Medicine and Dentistry (seven per cent), Computing (six per cent), Social Sciences (five per cent), and others.