Summary
About 25% of the surveyed schools have stated that the tendency of moving abroad for higher studies has increased
The survey was conducted in 300 Cambridge schools across the world, which found that about 84% of students changed their minds about their first choice of university or destination
According to the annual Destinations Survey by Cambridge International, it was found that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a major disruption in the education system. It has also affected the decision of where to study for school students.
The survey was conducted in 300 Cambridge schools across the world and the research found that about 84% of the school students changed their minds regarding their first choice of university or destination. This was majorly due to uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation, travel difficulties and financial crisis created by the pandemic.
Despite the pandemic and its impacts, the Cambridge students have not given up on their desire to study abroad. About one-third of Cambridge students have already moved out of their country for higher studies in 2020.
The pandemic has caused more awareness about international study. Students have been introduced to a wide range of courses available outside their own country. About 25% of the surveyed schools have stated that the tendency of moving abroad for higher studies has increased. The schools have said that the primary reason behind this is that the students perceive international universities can offer a wide range of courses and more career opportunities.
The United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia remain on the top of the list. About 76% of students chose the UK because of its reputed universities. Canada was an option for about 73% of students because it was promising for future job opportunities. For the US, 66% of students looked at reputed universities while 34% chose Australia because they wanted to explore the region.
The majority of Indian students have chosen to stay back in the country and pursue higher education in Indian universities. The next choice remains US and UK. The institutions emerging as top choices are Ashoka University, FLAME University, NMIMS University, Christ University and Amity University. The top five subject choices for Indian students are Business & Management, Engineering, Computer Science, Economics and Liberal Arts.
A few respondents have also stated that greater awareness about the availability of funding and scholarships has made studying abroad financially possible.
84% of schools claimed that the pandemic has affected decisions regarding higher education in 2020. About 62% of the schools said that the students either delayed or deferred joining university because of uncertainty and unwillingness to travel far from home.
Mahesh Shrivastava, regional director of South Asia, Cambridge Assessment International Education, said, “The education world has undergone tremendous disruption during the pandemic but institutions across the world adapted to deliver teaching through new mediums to ensure students could continue their education. At Cambridge International, we worked with our partner schools in every possible way to understand their changing needs and preferences, so that teaching and learning could continue, and students could gain their qualifications and progress to higher education.”
Last updated on 24 Nov 2021
