European universities to gain in student flows from Brexit

European universities could gain significantly from the changing student flows caused by the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, according to new research from QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the higher education research and rankings specialists.

QS found that more than one in 10 international students have now been put off the UK as a study destination, with the majority of those instead considering alternative destinations in Europe.

Kym Nguyen, director of Global Market Development at QS, said: “Our research demonstrates that many European students have been put off studying in the UK because of the unwelcoming message Brexit sends to the international community, as well as the lack of clarity over Britain’s participation in EU-funded programmes such as Erasmus+. As a result, European universities could stand to gain significantly from such shifts in international student flows and should adapt their recruitment strategies accordingly.”

The data comes from the EU edition of QS’s International Student Survey 2020, published on 30 April. The survey – the largest of its kind – heard from over 78,000 prospective students from 193 different nationalities, just under 30,000 of whom were interested in studying in the EU.

QS argue in their report that the benefits of welcoming greater numbers of international students to the EU could play an important role in supporting post-COVID-19 recovery in European countries and sustaining longer-term economic growth.

Further key findings from the report include:

• 11% of international students have been deterred from studying in the UK as a result of Brexit, and a further 7% are unsure. However, the majority (65%) of international students considering studying in the UK say they have not been put off by Brexit.

• Of all students looking to study elsewhere as a result of Brexit, nearly two-thirds (62%) of respondents selected at least one market within the EU with a quarter (25%) choosing Germany, 21% the Netherlands and 21% choosing France.

• The proportion of students who have had to change their plans to study in Europe due to COVID-19 has increased from 27% in mid-February to 62% in early April. However, the majority of these students still intend to study abroad in the future, with 55% of respondents planning to defer their entry until 2021 if they are unable to start their studies this year.

• Many universities are moving the provision of degrees online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, not all students support this, with 41% of prospective international students stating that they have no interest at all in studying their degree online.

• Nearly two-thirds (65%) of international students interested in studying at an EU institution consider up-to-date technology the most important factor in assessing a university’s teaching quality. A university’s teaching staff is considered second most important (64%) and recognition via a teaching quality measurement scheme ranked third (58%) among respondents.

Nguyen said: “Our research found that the impacts on student flows from the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to be an issue of timing. Rather than being deterred from studying abroad indefinitely, the majority of international students we spoke to intend to pursue their original intention and defer their entry if it becomes necessary.

“The current health crisis has also helped to accelerate the digital transformation of both education and student recruitment solutions. It has forced us to rethink the abilities of online learning platforms and how universities can continue to attract students from across the world while travel is restricted.

“As outlined in this report, up-to-date technology is considered a key indicator of teaching quality and a priority factor in prospective students’ decision-making. Institutions will need to understand and adapt to these shifts in demand as a result of COVID-19, and we hope this report will help universities make these adjustments.”

She added that, looking forward, it will be “hugely important that international students continue to feel both welcome and inspired to study at universities across Europe. For institutions, it is therefore key that country-specific information on employability and post-study work rights is communicated clearly to priority student markets to make themselves as attractive as possible.”