The  highlights:

• A recent survey of study abroad agents reiterated continued strong student demand for offline face-to-face learning, but at the same time increasing acceptance of online and hybrid courses

• The report also points out that international students and their parents will be more concerned than before about the burden of studying abroad, the ability to return on investment and future career opportunities.

NTO University Partnerships was conducted in November 2020 and collected responses from 1,126 intermediary agents worldwide.

Four-fifths of the agents in the survey believe that the factors influencing students' decision to study abroad have changed due to the pandemic. There has been an important shift in student and parent priorities—most notably a greater focus on affordability and employment outcomes, and a greater openness to a mix of online and offline programs.

Among the changes where demand factors mattered most, 65% of agents said students and parents placed more weight on scholarships and other forms of financial aid when weighing study abroad options. Slightly more than six in 10 (61%) say students and parents are more concerned about career outcomes now than before the pandemic, and about half (49%) of agents believe students and parents have a greater sense of the return on their investment in studying abroad. higher expectations.

Commenting on the survey results, INTO Marketing Vice President Dr Parves Khan said: "Young people's focus on careers and clear goals is well documented...Intermediaries say employment prospects will continue to be decisive for international education. More than four points of this One (27%) cited job opportunities in the destination country as the most influential factor in their decision to study abroad in the next five years, indicating that more of their clients want to work abroad after college. Another 21% of agents believe the destination The country's immigration policy is the biggest influencing factor."

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