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Rebound in international enrolments forecasted

You may recall our earlier article, Reflections on where we are heading, when we reviewed the Top 40 COVID-19 safety countries ranking.  As a global frontrunner in controlling the pandemic, Australia was well positioned to win the race in reopening borders, against the other major English-speaking destinations, the UK and US.  Australia’s competency in managing COVID-19 enhanced further our status as a safe study-abroad destination. This, in turn, will impact positively on future international student recruitment. A recent Times Higher Education article presented an analysis that supports our optimism. Drilling into surveys of over 40,000 prospective international students, EY consultants predicted resilience in demand for overseas studies, and linked growth in student numbers with success in pandemic control in specific destinations. They provided these encouraging forecasts: Source: timeshighereducation.com/news/pandemic-redistribute-international-student-flows-report
  • New Zealand will increase its share of globally mobile students by 1 per cent, around 10,000 additional enrolments.
  • Australia will increase its share by 2 per cent.
  • Canada will capture an extra 6 per cent at the expense of its southern neighbour.
The report also anticipated a strong rebound for international postgraduate enrolments, citing the influence of a suppressed jobs market in driving current undergraduates to continue studying.  This will, however, be offset by a slower recovery in bachelor’s enrolments, given the widespread disruption to final-year school exams. It’s been a challenging year for the international education sector. Yet, we remain optimistic and foresee a bright future. We are working closely with our partners to plan for 2021.