International students still open to starting year online

Some 72% of prospective international students remain open to starting their studies in the United Kingdom this academic year, even if it means beginning their course online, according to data gathered by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the higher education think-tank and compilers of the QS World University Rankings.

The data, published on 20 May, is part of QS’s ongoing research into the impact of the coronavirus on global higher education, which began in February and highlights the changing dynamics of the COVID-19 crisis on the international student market. QS has heard responses from more than 30,000 prospective international students from across the world as part of the findings – more than 8,800 of whom are interested in studying in the UK.

QS further found that Chinese and Indian students were some of the most reluctant to start their degrees online this year – with almost one in two Chinese students reluctant, which is a significant worry given that they are by far the largest international cohort in the UK. However, the new data shows that there were similar levels of European Union and non-EU students open to starting their studies online in 2020 overall.

Commenting on the findings, Nunzio Quacquarelli, CEO of QS, said: “The data on international students’ study plans for the next year gives us a clearer picture of the impact that the virus will have on the UK higher education market. While it is going to cause short-term disruption and uncertainty, our data shows there are reasons to be optimistic for the higher education sector.

“We maintain that this suggests the main impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student flows will be one of timing, and British universities can help to mitigate the impacts by ensuring they are well-prepared to offer online learning into the next academic year.”

The key trends since QS last reported on the data at the start of April are:

• Of the 72% of students open to starting their studies this year online, 46% said they would start their studies this year even if it was online, with a further 26% stating that they were unsure at this stage. Only 28% said they were opposed to the idea.

• 47% of EU students said they would start their studies in Britain if it was online, with 20% opposing the idea. This is compared to 45% of non-EU students who support the idea and 27% who oppose starting their studies online this year.

• Nearly two-thirds (62%) of international students interested in the UK have had their plans to study abroad affected by COVID-19 – an increase of 2% from early April.

• Over one in seven (15%) of these overseas students have said their plans have not been affected – an increase of 1% – and 24% of students remain uncertain about the impact on their plans, a decrease of 2%.

• Across all respondents to the survey, almost half (49%) of students from China and over one-third (36%) of Indian students do not want to start their studies this year if they are to begin online. Only a fifth (20%) of German students were against starting their studies online this year, while 30% of US students saw it as a barrier.

The data came after the higher education regulator, the Office for Students, warned that universities in England must explain with “absolute clarity” to students applying for places at their institution how courses would be taught – before applicants make choices for the autumn.

“The important thing here is absolute clarity to students, so they know what they’re getting in advance of accepting offers,” Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the Office for Students, told MPs on the Education Select Committee.

“What we don’t want to see are promises that it’s all going to be back to usual – an on-campus experience – when it turns out that’s not the case.”

She told MPs she expected there would be a “much greater and more sophisticated use of blended learning so that’s face-to-face plus online” and not just a case of “bunging lectures online” but in any case prospective students needed to be told in advance “what they are getting”, the BBC reported.

Diego Fanara, CEO of Unibuddy, which collaborates with more than 300 universities worldwide to help them attract students online, told University World News: “Many universities are looking at their plans for September right now. And the reality is that, for many, the safest option will be to revert to online. But our research has shown that students have a lot of concerns about online teaching and its perceived value for money.

“What matters right now is that universities that decide to move online reassure their students about the quality of the education they’ll be receiving online.”

Cambridge lectures online for a year

One university that immediately encountered problems with trying to communicate its plans for adjusting to the pandemic over the next academic year is the University of Cambridge, which has announced that it will move all mass lectures online for the whole period, ending in the summer of 2021.

Lectures will continue to be made available online and it may be possible to host smaller teaching groups in person, as long as this conforms to social distancing requirements, a spokesperson said.

However, the focus in media headlines was on lectures only, prompting a rebuke from Professor Graham Virgo, senior pro-vice chancellor (education).

“Lectures are only one part of the rich education that Cambridge offers and freeing space in lecture halls will allow us to concentrate on delivering small group teaching, lab work and practicals,” he said.

“Colleges are planning to offer a wide range of activities, and will work hard to build up community life, even in the midst of social distancing. There remains a great deal of uncertainty about the likely course of the pandemic and its impact on universities. I regret that partial reporting of only one aspect of our plans may have compounded this uncertainty.”

However, on 22 May Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen J Toope openly conceded that the crisis is expected to lead to a “drop in the expected number of international students; physical restrictions to our research capacity and a loss of research funding; a drop in the value of the university endowment (and the associated income); the likely need for additional pension contributions as a result of the decrease in the market value of our pension fund; a drop in the normal cash flow to the university from Cambridge University Press and from Cambridge Assessment; and additional costs on current capital projects as a result of the disruption”.

The university may therefore have to “contemplate some unpalatable options” including extending a suspension of hiring, continuing to freeze capital expenditures on new building projects, considering a voluntary part-time working scheme, delaying any sabbatical leave, and suspension of promotion and pay progression schemes.

“If the reduction of income continues and no government support is forthcoming, we may need to undertake a review of staff pay that might include temporary pay freezes and voluntary pay reductions. The very last resort in a worst-case scenario is to contemplate potential generalised redundancies,” he said.

Despite this, he stressed that however teaching is delivered, “we will do all we can to ensure that the university continues to provide students with the highest quality education, and to offer the richest possible experience during their time in Cambridge”.

The QS data comes as the UK government is beginning to ease restrictions and looks to help the economy recover from the significant impacts the virus has had over the past two months.

Quacquarelli said: “It is vital that government and the higher education sector work together to promote their study destinations and communicate effectively with international students. With the overwhelmingly positive economic and social impact that students have in the UK and across the world, continuing to welcome overseas students will form a key part of the post-COVID-19 recovery.”