Better employment prospects and work experience during and after their studies are the key motivators pushing prospective students to look beyond their home country – with Canada topping the list of the most desired destinations, a new survey by IDP Connect has shown.
The survey results captured the voice of over 1,900 prospective students using IDP Connect’s international sites in 12 source markets: Middle East, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Latin, America, Russia, Turkey, Korea and China.
Canada was the most popular destination for this sample of respondents, followed by the US, UK and Australia. Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore also received significant interest.
The main motivations for studying abroad were career-related – the first being better career prospects upon return to the home country, and secondly, work experience available while studying abroad.
The third most commonly-cited reason was the cultural experience, and the fourth concerned work again, with respondents mentioning post-study opportunities in the host country.
The fifth motivation was interest in a particular university, which the survey said shows how important it is for universities to build and promote their brand overseas.
Financial requirements were the biggest concern, followed by language barriers, safety and academic requirements.