85-90% of Students Seeking to Study Abroad in 2023 Open to Starting Online: Survey
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At least 65% of undergraduate and 55% of postgraduate students are looking to go overseas within the next 12 months, according to WorldGrad survey.
The survey also reveals that 65% of the respondents are planning to go overseas within the next 12 months, while the remaining 35% are planning to go beyond the 12-month timeframe. Apart from this 55% of postgraduate students are looking to go overseas within the next 12 months.
The survey reiterates that employment opportunities and cost are the key factors for students when choosing a destination to study abroad. This is consistent with the previous year’s survey conducted by The WorldGrad, on study abroad preference by the students.
Highlights from the survey include:
Australia emerged as the top destination for undergraduate students with 37% of respondents choosing it as their preferred study destination, followed by Canada (23%), US (20%) and UK (13%). For postgraduate students, the US was the most popular choice with 33% choosing it as their preferred destination, followed by the UK (25%), Australia (21%) and Canada (19%). These results are consistent with the previous year’s survey, which also found that Australia and the US were the top choices for undergraduate and postgraduate students, respectively.
Employment opportunities remain the key criteria for choosing a destination for both undergraduate and postgraduate students with 38% and 47% of respondents respectively citing it as their top priority. Cost is the second most important criteria for both groups with around 22-23% of respondents citing it as a factor. These results are also consistent with the previous year’s survey.
Education loans have become a key source of financing for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, with 36% and 40% respectively citing it as their primary source. Scholarships remain an important source for around 24% of both undergraduate and postgraduate students. These results are consistent with the previous year’s survey.
To save on overseas study costs, 80% of undergraduate and 82% of postgraduate students are willing to start a part of their degree online in order to save costs. This is also seen as a time-saving tool, as 85-90% of those planning to go abroad within the next 12 months are willing to consider such programs. These results show a significant increase from the previous year’s survey, which found that only 65% of undergraduate and 70% of postgraduate students were willing to start a part of their degree online.
While foreign campuses opening in India are gaining popularity, the survey found that 80% of students still prefer to study abroad.
“According to our latest survey, there has been a notable increase in UG and PG students’ willingness to pursue overseas studies through a hybrid learning model. This is a positive trend as it allows students to save costs and time while still gaining valuable academic skills. Our part-online and part-on-campus programmes have achieved a 100% visa acceptance rate for our students, indicating their success. The information gathered from these surveys will enable us to enhance our services and better meet the needs of our students.” – Abhinav Mital, Co-founder of The WorldGrad.
