State of Student Recruitment 2022

Report Highlights

1. Several destination countries have made big jumps in popularity since last year, including Australia (+34.2%), France (+23.6%), and Finland (+118.4%)
2. Africa holds the greatest proportion in the world of students looking to study undergraduate degrees in Health Care & Medicine (24.2%), Computer Science & IT (22.7%), and Engineering (15.5%)
3. 85.6% are beginning to research their study options only one year or less in advance before submitting an application
4. Attending a top ranked program or university is 11.1% more influential as a study abroad motivation this year, and 11.3% more students say ranking lists are a study abroad decision-making resource
5. The program becomes the first consideration for more than half of African prospective students after a 20.5% increase while the school and country fall
6. Southern Africa has the highest student preference for online delivery (14.7%) in the world
7. Despite a 21% decrease as a consideration, the school holds more influence in Africa as a first consideration for students (19.4%) than in any other global region
8. The program factors of graduate career prospects (+10.1%), study mode and flexibility (+21.1%), and online delivery (+113.4%) have become more important this year. Attending a top ranked program or university is 11.1% more influential as a study abroad motivation this year, and 11.3% more students say ranking lists are a study abroad decision-making resource
9. Facebook and LinkedIn as platforms to get more information about studying abroad are more popular in Africa than in any other global region for students interested in undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD/Doctorate degrees

Study Abroad Trend Overview

Top Destinations: Several countries have made big jumps from last year's data, including Australia (+34.2%), France (+23.6%) and Finland (+118.4%)

When looking at preferred study destinations chosen by prospective students in Africa, the United Kingdom stands out at the top even more so than last year after a 17.5% increase in popularity. The popularity of the UK as a destination is very pronounced in West Africa (23%) and Southern Africa (22%), and least in Central Africa (8.8%). 

The proportion of students from Africa who want to study abroad in Canada (17.2%) is higher than any other global region. Canada lands second after the UK in popularity as a top destination for African students,  overtaking the United States this year as it experiences a slight decrease in interest this year (-8.1%). Western Africa, however, holds higher student interest in the US (21.3%) than Canada (17.3%), and the United States is the most popular study abroad country for Central African students by far, holding 29.2% of student interest.

Several countries lower on the list have made big jumps in popularity from last year’s survey, including Australia (+34.2%), France (+23.6%), and Finland (+118.4%). Much of Australia’s popularity comes from East Africa (9.5%) and Southern Africa (7.8%), while the increase of students looking at France comes from Central (7.3%) and North Africa (11.9%). Finland has gained interest across the board and has the second-highest proportion of student interest when comparing numbers to other global regions. 

While Sweden has retained popularity as a study abroad country in Southern Africa (3.9%) and East Africa (3.7%), prospective student interest has fallen by 38.7% since last year in Africa as a whole. Belgium also shows some intra-regional variation. Belgium is the 4th most popular study abroad country for Central African students (8.5%) and falls lower in popularity when looking at Africa overall.

Top Programs: Africa holds the greatest proportion in the world of students looking to study undergraduate degrees in Health Care & Medicine (24.2%), Computer Science & IT (22.7%), and Engineering (15.5%)

The most desired study abroad programs for African students varies depending on the type of degree they plan to study. Africa holds the greatest proportion in the world of students looking to study undergraduate degrees in Health Care & Medicine (24.2%), Computer Science & IT (22.7%), and Engineering (15.5%).

At the postgraduate level, there are more African students who want to study Environmental Studies (11.2%) and Administration Studies (10.1%) than any other region. Proportions of African students searching for a PhD/Doctorate program abroad are also the highest in the world in terms of the popularity of an Environmental Studies degree (13.4%) as well as for African student interest in Business & Administration (12.3%).

Student Journey: 85.6% are beginning to research their study options only one year or less in advance before submitting an application

Plans to study abroad sooner rather than later have made a huge rebound in 2022. African students planning to start studying overseas ‘this year’ increased by 113% since 2021, indicating a turn towards a shorter student journey. This year’s survey also shows that 38% of African prospective students are planning to study abroad in one year’s time, which is lower than in 2021 but higher than 2019 and 2020 levels.

More than half (53.7%) of African students also indicated that they will begin researching or have already started to research their study abroad options less than six months before they submit an application. When looking at the total proportion of African students researching one year or less in advance, this number grows to a gigantic 85.6%. 

Top Motivations: Attending a top-ranked program or university is 11.1% more influential as a study abroad motivation this year, and 11.3% more students say ranking lists are a study abroad decision-making resource

The top three motivations for African students to study abroad remain the same as last year with little change: to achieve career goals (56.1%), personal development (44.1%), and to access higher quality education (42.4%). Africa has the highest percentage of students globally that are motivated by accessing higher quality education, with the most from Central Africa (48.5%) and followed by West Africa (44.5%) and East Africa (43.1%).

The motivator of studying for free or for less has increased by 25% this year, and having more study options was also chosen 51.6% more often in 2022 than in 2021. Attending a top ranked program or university is another motivation that has become more influential as a study abroad motivation this year in Africa overall (+11.1%).

The most helpful resources for African students in the decision-making process illustrates the importance of scholarships and funding information (66.2%). Ranking lists also prove to be influential as a study abroad resource, which have grown to be seen as 11.3% more helpful by African students this year than last.

When comparing African regions to other global regions worldwide, several resources stand out. For example, East African students are the most globally interested in advertisements as a resource (5.4%), while more Southern Africans see articles about the benefits of studying abroad (21.2%) as a helpful resource more than any other region. Career and personality tests are most popular in North Africa (22.3%) with Central Africa just behind (21.9%).

Marketing Insights

Top Considerations: The program becomes the first consideration for more than half of African prospective students after a 20.5% increase while the school and country fall

The pendulum has swung in opposite directions from the trends of the last three years when it comes to African students’ first considerations when deciding where to study abroad. While the program has risen in prominence as a first consideration by 20.5%, the school and country have decreased by 21% and 14.1% respectively. Despite the 21% decrease as a consideration, the school holds more influence in Africa as a first consideration for students (19.4%) than in any other global region.

This year’s survey also shows changes in the aspects of a program that African students find most important. For students who consider the program first, this year’s preferences show that certain aspects such as graduate career prospects (+10.1%) and study mode and flexibility (+21.1%) have become more important. Other aspects of the program’s delivery mode also show more significance for African students, as the program factor of on-campus delivery has increased by 50.1% and online delivery by 113.4%. A program’s reputation or ranking has actually decreased by 28.6% this year, suggesting that rankings’ rise in importance as mentioned in the previous section could be coming from students who prefer the school or country first.

Intra-regional variation in Africa becomes quite clear when it comes to preferred class mode. Southern Africa in particular is an outlier, where this region has a much higher preference for online and mixed or hybrid class delivery than any other region and a much lower preference for in-person classes. Comparing with other continental regions demonstrates that Southern Africa has the highest student preference for online delivery (14.7%) in the world.

All of the regions show a proportion of nearly double or more students who prefer online classes compared to the overall proportion from 2021 except for West African students. West Africans are the global region with the second-highest proportion of students who prefer in-person classes (67.8%), falling just after South Asia (72.8%).

Top Influences: Facebook and LinkedIn as platforms to get more information about studying abroad are more popular in Africa than in any other global region for students interested in undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD/Doctorate degrees

Even when looking at prospective undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD/Doctorate students separately, Facebook shows strong dominance as a platform for students to get more information about a school. Comparing with global data confirms that Facebook is more popular across all three-degree types in Africa than anywhere else, holding the attention of more than a third of prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students and nearly 31% of prospective PhD/Doctorate students.

LinkedIn, however, is the top platform for prospective PhD/Doctorate students, just beating out Facebook with over a third of students looking to find information on the career-based platform. LinkedIn also has a higher level of student interest in Africa across all three degree types than in any other global region. Whatsapp and Twitter were two of the most-often mentioned platforms for the African students who selected the choice ‘Other’.

Student Voices

Common Challenges

To understand the student perspective in this region more deeply, we asked: What are some common challenges for you and other students from your country who want to study abroad? Each response indicates the student's nationality, age, and highest completed degree level underneath.

• "Getting a visa, language certificates, and racism"
• Rwandan; 36-45; Bachelor's degree

• "Money problems and lack of connection where to go and stay"
• Cameroonian; 26-35; Some university but no degree

• "Language barrier and tuition fee due to our poor currency value"
• Nigerian; 26-35; High school degree or equivalent

Encouraging Students

We also asked: What might encourage you to study abroad?

• “If there is clear and helpful information”
• Ethiopian; 26-35; Graduate degree or higher

• “Knowing it will be a safe environment as a person of colour”
• South African; 26-35; Graduate degree or higher

• “A school that offers a low tuition fee with courses targeted in strengthening my skills and preparing me for the workforce”

• Nigerian; 26-35; High school degree or equivalent