Overseas students in US and UK ‘most satisfied during Covid’

The majority of international students who started university this year have been satisfied with their experience, with students in the US and the UK the happiest.

A survey of almost 800 international students who began their studies in 2020, either online or face to face, found that respondents rated their overall level of satisfaction as 6.4 out of 10, where 10 signified the most satisfied. This rose to 7.5 for overseas students at institutions in the US and 7.1 in the UK, and dropped to 6.2 in Canada and 6 in Australia.

When asked how happy they were with their decision to start their studies in 2020, 81 per cent of respondents studying at UK institutions gave a score of 6 or above, and 70 per cent gave a score of 7 or above, where 10 signified that they were extremely happy, putting the UK ahead of Australia and Canada.

International students at UK institutions were also more likely than those in other major recruiting countries to say they had received non-academic assistance and support, according to the findings, which are part of the third instalment of a longitudinal study from student recruitment firm IDP Connect for Universities UK International (UUKi).

Thirty-nine per cent of respondents at UK universities said they had been given flexibility on late enrolment deadlines (compared with 22 per cent globally), while 27 per cent had received support for mental or physical health (20 per cent globally) and 21 per cent had received flexibility on entry requirements (16 per cent globally).

The findings also reveal that international students rank the UK the best in terms of ease of obtaining a visa, with 85 per cent of UK respondents saying this experience had met or exceeded their expectations. The UK also ranks above Canada and Australia in terms of perceptions of the quality of education.

UUKi director Vivienne Stern said the findings were “testament to swift action from the UK government and the fantastic work of universities and the whole of the UK higher education sector in welcoming and supporting international students” throughout the pandemic.

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com