New research from IDP Connect finds that more than one-third of students surveyed (39 percent) rate Canada as their first choice for post-secondary studies, followed by the US and UK (both at 17 percent) and Australia at 16 percent. Moreover, 69 percent of respondents rank Canada as their most considered study destination. The UK comes in a distant second with 48 percent and Australia and the US are tied in third with 46 percent each. The results come at a time when the US has surpassed Canada for international student demand share across IDP Connect’s suite of student-facing websites, indicating…

Given the policy changes and student survey responses outlined above, one may expect to already be seeing changes to international student demand. The below graph depicts international student search demand for the four destination countries on IDP Connects global sites, providing insight into how – and in some cases whether – recent policy announcements are affecting student demand ahead of the Crossroads V survey. Demand for Australia had slightly declined from February to mid-April, at which time Australia seemed unlikely to open its borders to international students until 2022 at the earliest. However, since the week beginning 12th April traffic for Australia began to recover, with…

*Check against delivery*Thank you.It has been such a warm welcome here at Symbiosis International University.My sincere thanks to both Symbiosis and the Association of Indian Universities for bringing us all together for this important event.And may I acknowledge the many esteemed guests we have in the room today.It’s a privilege to be here on behalf of Australia’s universities – at what is a truly exciting time for Australia and India.We are entering a golden era in our relationship.A relationship that is only getting bigger and stronger.Our governments are promoting and supporting this.As your Prime Minister, Prime Minister Modi, said in…

Coinciding with the G20 Education Working Group Meeting and Education Ministers Meeting in Pune, the conference will be attended by university leaders from all G20 countries.Ms Jackson will outline how universities can take Australia and India’s relationship to the next level.Indian government officials and sector leaders will also address the conference (19-21 June at Symbiosis International University).Ms Jackson will also attend a series of industry roundtable meetings, which will focus on strengthening and maximising the relationship between universities and fast-growing sectors of the economy to drive economic growth and prosperity.Ms Jackson was a member of the Prime Minister’s business delegation…

Chinese businesspeople have shown faith in the buoyancy of student flows from their country, with tens of thousands of firms obtaining licences to provide study abroad advice since Covid-19 controls were relaxed last December. More than 27,000 new education agencies were established in China between mid-December and mid-May, according to a report from Vienna-based higher education consultancy Bonard. The country appears on track for a record year of new agencies, surpassing the 2021 peak of about 45,000. While many new agencies are in the “tier 1” commercial magnets of Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, plenty more have been launched in the emergent “new tier…

“I had approached Education Migration Services, an agency headed by Brijesh Mishra in Jalandhar, to migrate to Canada. Since May 2018, I have been residing in Canada, where I pursued my studies. After completing my studies, I applied for a work permit in Canada, which was successfully granted. Encouraged by this, I then applied for permanent residency. Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly until my life took an unexpected and drastic turn,” says Sandeep Kumar, one of the many Indian students duped by a fake education agent in India. Sandeep adds, “Out of the blue, I received a call from…

Two or three times a year, the dreaded reminder that the next several days and weeks will be filled with multiple spreadsheets (that’s if you can get the data in one piece), a ridiculous number of emails, back and forth between agents, recruitment staff and finance and copious amounts of anxiety of what can and might go wrong. With the huge surge in agent applications and enrolments, this problem has grown in magnitude for so many. Getting in right Signing off millions of pounds in commission payments is never taken lightly and I had certainly been reminded of past mistakes,…

When asked if they intended to apply for a post-study visa, 72% of respondents globally said they will apply. Respondents from China were the most likely to apply (82%) followed by the Philippines (79%), Ghana (78%), then Nigeria and India (75% each). When asked if they intended to apply for a post-study visa, 72% of respondents globally said they will apply. Respondents from China were the most likely to apply (82%) followed by the Philippines (79%), Ghana (78%), then Nigeria and India (75% each).Across the four major study destinations, the perception of graduate employment opportunities has gone down since our first…

International postgraduate enrolment in the US rose 8 per cent in the past academic year, with declines from China more than offset by gains from India and sub-Saharan Africa, a major annual survey has found. The single-year enrolment gains, as measured for last autumn among first-time international graduate students, included Iran, up 33 per cent; India, up 22 per cent; and sub-Saharan Africa, up 13 per cent, according to figures compiled by the Council of Graduate Schools. Graduate-level enrolment fell 11 per cent among students from China and by 40 per cent among those from Saudi Arabia – both countries facing significant…