Are Indian Students Deferring Their Studies Abroad?

International applicants have doubts about committing to online education.

University and business school applicants around the world are currently weighing their options for studying abroad in 2020-2021. A survey of 850 Indian students conducted earlier in the year revealed that 61% of respondents are thinking of deferring their study offers if the courses are to be held online.

Indian students still keen on studying abroad

Although they are not in general planning on abandoning their intention of education abroad, 35% of students say they are extremely concerned about the quality of online education.

The uncertainty of the situation is still preventing applicants from making a final decision. According to Shiksha – the research website for Indian study abroad aspirants that collected the data – “just over 40% were ‘not at all likely’ to cancel their plans completely but nearly 50% were very likely to see how the situation evolves.”

Other chief concerns for students include the impact of Covid-19 on jobs and salaries as well as personal health and international travel worries.

Study destination preferences

The research also highlighted that the decision-making process of Indian applicants largely depends on their preferred study destination.

The majority of respondents who are interested in studying in Australia (78%) reported that they would likely defer to the next university intake if studies were to take place online. In contrast, 54% of those headed to Canada said that they would postpone their study abroad.

Vivek Jain, Chief Business Officer at Shiksha, believes this is a temporary trend and expects that student numbers will pick up again.

“I expect the number of students going abroad for higher studies to see a temporary decline and again increase after the fears subside,” said Mr Jain. “If the economy sees an improvement next year onwards, students joining the courses this year may benefit. My suggestion will be not to panic and stick to long-term plans.”

Source: The PIE News