Please note: The statistics in this report are based on over 7,400 responses to our recent survey which ran between March 16th and April 22, 2020. We originally published a version of this report on March 26th with some initial findings from 2,500 responses. When we compared the two reports, we saw very few changes in the opinions and decisions made in response to COVID-19. We believe that this is because, for the international student community, there are still so many unknown factors regarding its impact on plans. Rather than providing month-on-month trends, we’ve opted to update the report with more depth in the form of additional quotes, and questions to help illuminate motivations, emotions, and reasoning. If you would like to read the original release from March 26th, you can do so here.
The dream of studying abroad is still alive and well. Only 5.4% of prospective students intend to cancel their study abroad plans in light of COVID-19.
Our database of students primarily interested in in-person study opportunities is now entertaining the idea of studying an international degree digitally. Students who told us they were primarily interested in in-person (or classroom) courses are now considering getting their degrees online in light of COVID-19. 45.2% of prospective students would now be interested in studying their program virtually as an alternative.
Although prospective students are interested in studying their degree online, their concerns regarding the quality and recognition of a virtual degree weigh heavily on them.
There has been little change in response from the international student community regarding their study abroad plans between March 16th and April 22nd.
Institutions are responding quickly to the rising demands for online study options for the international student community, with 85.1% of current students surveyed saying they are now taking classes online due of COVID-19.
Mental health services as a selective factor of prospective students has risen drastically according to our April 24th deep-dive.
At educations.com, we believe in the immeasurable value of studying abroad. But we also recognize that the recent outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) will impact many students during their research phase of international higher education opportunities.
We’ve collected over 7,400 responses from prospective and current international students to help them and help you understand how opinions, attitudes, and new realities are shaping study abroad.
The geographic breakdown of surveyed students is as follows:
A majority of prospective students who responded to our survey are intending to study a full bachelor’s or master’s degree. Only 5.5% were planning on studying their PhD abroad, while 9.1% are aiming towards a diploma of some kind. 10.9% selected “other” which includes programs like language courses, associate’s degrees, and pathway programs.
Students who said COVID-19 hasn't affected their study abroad plans may be planning to study in the future when they believe the crisis will have abated. Similarly, students who said they have been affected may be concerned about the rapidly developing travel constraints implemented by national governments. The responses thus far indicate that students, like many of us, are waiting to see how events unfold.
Only 5.4% of prospective students planned to cancel their future study plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This demonstrates that while students are feeling a lot of uncertainty, they are not jumping to cancel their plans. Students dedicate time and resources to their study abroad plans, and are passionate about seeing their plans through.
Just over 42% of students intend to postpone their study abroad plans with the goal of resuming studies at a later date. For some students, COVID-19 has not impacted their study abroad plans at all, as 13.5% of prospective students plan to continue their studies as normal.
Of the prospective students who still plan to study abroad at some point in the near future, a staggering 54.8% of them still expect to be traveling abroad to study on campus. And when we take into account that 48% of prospective students plan to start studying this year, it highlights just how undeterred many of them are in letting the current situation stop them from experiencing the full study abroad experience.
Interestingly, given the choice, just under 5% are actively seeking entirely digital study options, with a further 15.7% planning to start their studies online but move to on campus study at a later date once the COVID-19 situation starts winding down. As one respondent put it, "It is more convenient that I can study from home to protect myself from COVID-19. But at some point I’ll also need to practice my skills in real situations or in the class anyway."
In contrast, just under 55% of students planning to study abroad would not be interested in an international education offered online. Those students may be more interested in the experiential aspects of studying abroad - experiencing a new culture, language, learning style, and country. COVID-19 hasn't dampened these students' desire to broaden their horizons by studying abroad, but they may be waiting to visit new destinations in person.
Over half of the current students who responded to our survey are studying abroad within Europe, though all other continents are also represented in some capacity. Interestingly, student responses were all fairly similar between the different regions, highlighting just how global this pandemic is. For that reason, we decided not to break down the report by region as we felt the following responses represent all of them fairly.
Like the prospective students, a majority of students currently studying abroad are undertaking a bachelor’s or master’s degree.. A smaller percentage were studying at PhD level (just 3.6%), while diplomas and other programs, such as language courses, short summer courses, associate’s degrees, and pathway programs, were more widely studied.
Nearly 60% of respondents are expecting to graduate in the next two years, with over 30% aiming to complete their qualifications by the end of 2020.
Interestingly, 2.8% of current students didn’t know when they would graduate, though whether this uncertainty was specifically due to COVID-19 or other reasons remains unclear.
The jury is still out on how long these classes will continue to be delivered online. Of those now taking classes online, 39% think the shift to online will only be a short-term solution, while 25% think it would be long-term, and 36% do not yet know.
Still, there seems to be a lot of uncertainty amongst students with over 40% still unsure what they should do in light of COVID-19.
Based on the responses we've received so far, there is no one agreed upon plan of action for students currently studying abroad in light of COVID-19. The three-way split is likely due to the diversity of circumstances students currently studying abroad find themselves in depending on the spread of the virus in their country of study, and their institution’s response.
Combined, more than 62% of students are not rushing to pack their bags. The development of COVID-19 is ongoing, and many students are either waiting to see how the virus will impact the country they're studying in, or have decided to stay-put in their study abroad destination. Students currently studying abroad are no strangers to complicated circumstances, the COVID-19 crisis presents a new set of circumstances for them to navigate. We did see a 2.7% drop in the number of students who responded with “I don’t know” showing that students are slowly starting to make decisions about their study plans either way.
COVID-19 has caused students and universities alike to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. The uncertainty felt by the world in the face of COVID-19 is, unsurprisingly, mirrored by students.
It's inevitable that students' study abroad plans and experiences are being disrupted by the outbreak of COVID-19. However, viable study abroad opportunities such as online learning and postponing study abroad plans (rather than cancelling them outright!) speak to international students' perseverance in pursuing their study abroad dreams. Studying abroad remains at the top of many students' bucket lists, but COVID-19 has complicated the question of when and how they'll make it happen.