Fluctuations in the study abroad market
Major study abroad markets such as the UK, Australia, and Canada have announced restrictions on international student enrollment in 2024. This makes the US a more attractive study abroad destination for international students.
Limit bringing relatives
For the international education market in 2024, the biggest changes will come from the UK. First, from this year, the UK government will ban international undergraduate students from bringing their relatives to the country. Only international students studying research programs such as masters and doctorates will be allowed to bring their relatives with them.
In addition, international students will not be able to convert their student visa to a work visa until they graduate. The change comes as the UK seeks to curb immigration and address the problem of a shortage of rental housing.
Statistics show that the number of net migrants (the difference between the number of arrivals and departures) in the UK increased from just over 500,000 in June 2022 to over 700,000 by the end of the year. In the same year, 486,000 student visas were granted. The number of visas granted to relatives of these international students was 136,000, an increase of 8 times compared to 2019.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the ban on international students bringing their families to the UK would significantly reduce immigration and discourage the use of student visas to find work in the UK. It would also ensure that those who come to the UK are highly skilled and bring many benefits.
Just three months after the ban was introduced in May 2023, the UK government is reportedly looking to expand its plans to reduce net migration, with masters and doctoral students next in line.
By December 2024, the UK Home Secretary announced a plan of five changes issued by the UK Government to control the number of immigrants, including international students. Specifically, the government will review the post-study work visa programs for international students to reduce the number of people eligible to enter by 300,000.
Currently, international students who graduate in the UK are allowed to stay and work for two years. This policy will be applied from July 2021 after a nine-year hiatus. Experts predict that the government will reduce the work stay for international students to six months.
If graduates are prevented from finding work in the UK, universities will struggle to teach and do research. The UK education system could lose out on top talent.
According to records in the first two months of 2024, the restriction on students bringing relatives to the UK has caused the number of foreign students to decrease by 1/3. Specifically, data collected from more than 60 UK universities shows that the number of student visas issued in the first two months of the year decreased by 33% compared to the same period last year.
Target to reduce immigration
From September 2023, the Australian Government has accelerated the student visa process for international students by reducing the processing time from 49 days to 16 days. Accelerating the visa processing speed helps to resolve the backlog of visa applications, improving processing times for students. This also helps Australia regain its "attractiveness" to international students.
However, from 2024, the Australian Government will tighten visa regulations for international students and low-skilled workers to halve the number of immigrants in the next 2 years.
Under the new policy, international students will need to achieve higher scores in standardised English tests to apply for and obtain a visa. Australia will also more closely monitor second visa applications to extend the stay of international students.
In addition, international students coming to Australia must have more than 24,500 AUD in their savings account, an increase of 17% compared to before. The regulation requiring international students to have larger savings is to help them focus on their studies and reduce the risk of exploitation due to the need to work to support their lives.
The changes come as Australia's net migration is expected to hit a record 510,000 in 2022-23. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said Australia's migration numbers need to be brought back to "sustainable levels".
In the Netherlands, there has been much debate about restricting international student enrollment in 2023 but no consensus has been reached. However, according to records in the first two months of this year, 14 Dutch universities have announced restrictions on international student enrollment, including leading universities in the country such as the University of Amsterdam and Delft University of Technology.
Among them, the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam expect to reduce the number of international students by about one-fifth in 2024. The restriction is aimed at undergraduates. In addition, the schools have converted many English-taught programs to Dutch and will not open new English-taught programs.
Dutch Minister of Education, Mr. Robbert Dijkgraaf, emphasized: “The language of training in the Netherlands should be Dutch. Schools can teach in other languages, but it should not exceed 1/3 of the training programs.”
What is the impact?
In late January, the Canadian government announced that it would cut the number of study visas issued to international undergraduate students by 35% over the next two years. Specifically, in 2024, the number of approved visas will be reduced to 364,000 compared to the number issued in 2023.
Visa limits will vary by province, with the most populous province of Ontario expecting a drop of 50% or more in international students.
Mr. Akshay Chaturvedi, founder and CEO of Leverage education organization, India, predicted that with the above change, the US will likely regain the international education market share that has fallen into Canada's hands over the past decade.
“I expect a significant drop in the number of international students studying in Canada from this year onwards as visas remain an important factor for international students, especially Indian students, to consider when choosing a country to study. These people may turn to the US or other international education centres,” Mr. Akshay Chaturvedi analyzed.
Overall, the new restrictive policies regarding international students in the UK, Canada or Australia have significantly impacted the future demand for studying in those countries.
The “Voice of International Students” study conducted by IDP education organization in January 2024 on 67 countries and 2,500 students, shows that many people are considering plans to study in the above countries.
The US is becoming the most popular destination, with 49% of students surveyed considering or being unsure about studying in the UK, compared to 47% in Australia and 43% in Canada.
Similarly, research by education organisation Studyportals shows that international student demand for Canada is falling significantly while interest in the US is rising. Italy and the Netherlands are also becoming more popular, but interest in the Netherlands may soon decline due to actions by its universities.
“The latest survey shows that international students are very concerned about policy changes and how this affects the position of top study destinations. Competition between education destinations is at an all-time high,” said Simon Emmett, CEO of IDP Connect.
The expert also pointed out that students want certainty when deciding to study abroad. The changing stance of the British, Canadian and Australian governments has eroded confidence among international students. Research shows that the US is the most attractive destination for students considering studying in the UK, Australia or Canada.
Trends in Asia
In the above context of studying abroad, Southeast Asian students in particular and Asian students are interested in universities in the region. The reason is that more and more Asian universities are ranked among the world's top universities.
For example, Hong Kong has five universities in the world's top 100 according to QS, while mainland China has five others, including Tsinghua and Peking. Singapore has two, the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.
In addition, US-China tensions have made it difficult for many Chinese students to study in the US, prompting them to switch to studying in Hong Kong and Singapore. In addition, Japanese and Korean universities are on the rise. Many of them are among the best universities in world rankings but have less stringent entry requirements.
Another reason students choose Asia is the desire to study abroad more affordably. In 2023, the rising cost of living and studying in major destinations has become a challenge for international students.
For example, in Australia, the cost of living in the third quarter of 2023 was 9% higher than in the same period in 2022. In Canada, 2023 marked the fastest rental price increase in more than 40 years.
Therefore, by 2024, affordability will be the top priority in international students’ decision to study abroad. Therefore, affordable study abroad destinations will become more popular in 2024. Thus, 2024 will continue to be a year of great opportunities for international education in Asia.
According to a separate survey of 70 universities by Universities UK (UUK), postgraduate admissions have fallen by more than 40% since the immigration changes in January. If this decline continues into 2024 and beyond, the UK could become less attractive as a destination for international students. For its part, the country will be hit hard, as international education contributes significantly to economic growth.