Pandemic ‘postpones rather than prevents’ international study

Covid-19 has delayed rather than scuppered study abroad plans for both Australia-bound foreigners and locals considering taking courses elsewhere. But the widespread unpopularity of online study has underlined the importance of Australia’s intention to reopen its borders and accept more vaccines for travel purposes.

A survey of 3,650 would-be incoming international students has found that most are anxious to proceed, with 71 per cent planning to start within the next year. But the overwhelming majority of respondents were only interested in campus-based study, with just 10 per cent prepared to countenance fully online learning.

Eighteen per cent said that they would commence courses online so long as they could complete their studies face-to-face. Ten per cent were open to local study with overseas universities’ accredited partners, with a similar proportion prepared to consider foreign universities’ branch campuses.

The survey by IDP Connect is among a raft of studies being released before or during the Australian International Education Conference. IDP Chief executive Simon Emmett said that research since the pandemic’s outset had shown that students remained keen to gain overseas qualifications and the accompanying cultural and educational benefits, but they wanted clarity about the value and outcomes.

“The countries and institutions that can offer and communicate clear pathways to employment or migration will be most popular as the world continues to reopen from the pandemic,” he said.

A separate survey of more than 3,000 intending students, by education consultancy AECC Global, suggests that Australian international education will reap rewards from the country’s decision to recognise travellers immunised with China’s Sinovac vaccine as fully inoculated against coronavirus.

While China was not among the 90-plus countries covered by the survey, some 15 per cent of respondents said that they had received the Sinovac vaccine. Another 26 per cent had been injected with Covishield, the Indian-made version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which Australia has also recognised.

The survey found that half the respondents had already received two jabs, with a small proportion having received three. Only about 5 per cent were not considering getting vaccinated.

AECC Global chief commercial officer Jake Foster said that the recognition of Covishield and Sinovac was “critically important” for the recovery of Australia’s international education sector. “It will give students certainty moving forward,” he said.

Almost three-quarters of respondents said that they had delayed or changed their study abroad plans as a result of the pandemic, with only 5 per cent abandoning the idea – reflecting the results of yet another study, which examined Australians’ study abroad intentions.

The survey of more than 1,800 students from 26 universities, commissioned by the International Education Association of Australia, found that fewer than one in five had discarded their plans to learn overseas. But two in five were now considering study abroad stints after, rather than during, their degrees.

By July this year, 38 per cent of students were prepared to countenance “virtual” learning abroad, up from 14 per cent in November. But travelling overseas remained the favoured option, with safety a prime consideration. Eighty-three per cent indicated that they would only consider countries with high vaccination rates.

Education data company Studymove, which undertook the research, said that Australians’ study abroad intentions had not been overturned by 18 months of travel restrictions. “Demand…in 2022 will be strong and an important part of the study experience of local university students,” said managing director Keri Ramirez.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com