State of Student Recruitment 2022

Report Highlights

1. The UK and Ireland as a region has the highest percentage of students in the world looking to study in the United States (17.9%) resulting from a 117.3% rise in  popularity in 2022

2. This region has the highest proportion of students interested in studying abroad in Denmark in the world (3%)

3. Humanities & Culture as a degree subject is more popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland than anywhere else in the world

4. 79% of students say that they want to start studying abroad this year or next year, and 70.1% will start looking for a program one year or less in advance of submitting an application

5. This region has the highest global proportions of prospective students that find school's virtual open days (13.1%), study abroad fairs (10.4%), and study abroad guides (28.4%) as helpful resources when decision-making

6. Online and hybrid classes have grown in popularity by 146.4% and 22.6% respectively since 2021

7. Ireland (48.7%) and the UK (42.9%) have the first and second-highest numbers of students who prefer mixed or hybrid classes in the world. 

8. This region has the largest proportion of students who consider country first (36%) and lowest global proportion of students who consider the school first (9.8%) when deciding where to study.

9.  There are proportionately more undergraduate-interest students in the United Kingdom and Ireland than any other region who prefer to find study abroad information on TikTok (7.5%)

10.  

Study Abroad Trend Overview

Top Destinations: The UK and Ireland as a region has the highest percentage of students in the world looking to study in the United States (17.9%) after the country’s popularity increased by 117.3% in 2022

The most popular study abroad destinations for students from the UK and Ireland show some notable changes from last year. The biggest shift is the United States, which rose by 117.3% after a steep fall in popularity in 2021. This increase makes the United Kingdom and Ireland the region with the most prospective students in the world interested in studying abroad in the United States (17.9%).

Other popular English-speaking study abroad destinations have displayed surprising trends over the last few years. Australia has steadily dropped in prospective students’ interest, decreasing by 39.7% between 2020 and 2022. Though Canada was increasing in popularity between 2019 to 2021, this destination has dropped by 45.7% this year.

European study abroad destinations, however, have shown notable growth. Germany has risen by 95.1% in prospective student interest, and Denmark  by 145.5%. The UK and Ireland is the region with the most student interest in Denmark in the world (3%), and the region with the second-highest proportions of students choosing the Netherlands (3.9%), South Korea (2.2%), and New Zealand (2.2%) as their future destination.

Top Programs: Humanities & Culture as a degree subject is more popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland than anywhere else in the world

Looking at the most popular degree subjects by prospective students’ degrees of interest  shows that Health Care & Medicine is a clear front runner for all degree types.

Though falling a bit lower on the list, a cross-regional comparison shows that students from the United Kingdom and Ireland interested in undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD/Doctorate degree types have the highest proportion of interest in Humanities & Culture in the world.

The United Kingdom and Ireland hold the highest percentage of interest compared to other world regions in several other subjects. Undergraduate-interested students here are more interested in Journalism, Media & Mass Communication (12.8%) and Fashion (8.51%) than anywhere else, and those looking for a postgraduate degree or a PhD/Doctorate have higher preference for Life Sciences (12.6% and 22.5% respectively). 

Student Journey: 79% of students say that they want to start studying abroad this year or next year, and 70.1% will start looking for a program one year or less in advance of submitting an application

In terms of when British and Irish students want to start their studies abroad, the change from previous years grows quite extreme. The proportion of students who indicate that they want to start studying abroad ‘this year’ has more than tripled, skyrocketing by 365.1% since 2021. Students are also planning their studies abroad 1 year in advance in a higher proportion than previous years, making the student journey for British and Irish prospective students shorter than ever.

Another survey question confirmed students’ preferences towards a shorter student journey. The data shows that 70.1% of British and Irish students said that they will start or have started researching their study abroad options only one year or less in advance of submitting an application. 

Top Motivations:  This region has the highest global proportions of prospective students that find school's virtual open days (13.1%), study abroad fairs (10.4%), and study abroad guides (28.4%) as helpful resources when decision-making

When it comes to study abroad motivations, British and Irish students are reflecting a more career-driven and practical approach to their decision-making in 2022. Though the motivation of experiencing a new culture or lifestyle is still #1 in this region and is the highest in the UK (66.2%) and second-highest in Ireland (60.8%) as compared to other regions worldwide, it has dropped in importance overall along with ‘develop myself personally’ and ‘make new friends or widen my professional network’. 

Ranking and indicators of quality also seem to matter more in 2022. British and Irish students indicate that attending a top ranked program or university (128.2% increase) and accessing higher quality teaching (108.1% increase) are more influential motivators to study abroad this year than last. Prospective students in the UK and Ireland are also more inclined to study abroad to achieve their career goals and to study for free or for less much more than last year- demonstrating respective increases of 16.8% and 73.4%.

When comparing this year’s data to last year, the information that British and Irish students find most helpful during the decision-making process shows some differences. Ranking lists of top schools, countries, and programs have increased in importance by 80.4% for students from this region, and scholarships and funding information has risen by 52.8% as crucial information for decision-making. 

When comparing with other global regions, the UK and Ireland have the highest proportions of prospective students that find school's virtual open days (13.1%), student stories (38.5%), study abroad fairs (10.4%), and study abroad guides (28.4%) as helpful resources when deciding where to study. This region also has the second-highest numbers of students who consider photos and videos of the destinations (16.4%) and study abroad websites (25%) as some of the most helpful resources.

Marketing Insights

Top Considerations: Online and hybrid classes have grown in popularity by 146.4% and 22.6% respectively

To learn about how prospective students make study abroad decisions, we asked what they consider first when deciding where to study abroad. In the UK and Ireland, the program has increased by 15.9% as  first consideration for students since 2021, and the school and country have decreased. The country has decreased by 14.5% since 2019, and the school by 30.2% since only last year. Despite that, this region has the largest proportion of students who consider country first (36%) and lowest global proportion of students who consider the school first (9.8%) when deciding where to study.

Notable changes have also occurred in study abroad program preferences for students who consider the program first. Several factors have risen significantly in importance, including graduate career prospects (+26.1%), program accreditation (+62.6%), and networking with like-minded students (62.6%). Online delivery in particular increased by 76.7% in importance as a program factor.

After the prevalence of online classes in the last years, it was difficult to predict if students may prefer to engage in online or hybrid education, or if in-person classes might be preferred. Surprisingly to some, in-person classes have actually become less preferred by prospective students (-17.4%) in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and online and mixed or hybrid classes have grown in popularity by 146.4% and 22.6% respectively. In fact, a global intra-regional comparison shows that Ireland (48.7%) and the UK (42.9%) have the first and second-highest numbers of students who prefer mixed or hybrid classes in the world.

Top Influences: There are proportionately more undergraduate-interest students in the UK and Ireland than any other region who prefer to find study abroad information on TikTok (7.5%)

Social media strategies for reaching prospective students should vary according to the type of program. It’s clear to see that Instagram is a highly preferred platform for students interested in all degree types. However, LinkedIn is slightly more preferred by students wanting to know more about PhD or Doctorate programs, and Facebook is a platform that is looked to the most by students interested in postgraduate studies abroad.

Though much less preferred than other platforms, comparing preferences across other regions shows that there are proportionately more undergraduate-interest students in the United Kingdom and Ireland than anywhere else who prefer to find study abroad information on TikTok (7.5%), with the second-highest coming from North America (4%). TikTok in the UK and Ireland also rises above the rest when it comes to students interested in postgraduate degrees, where 4.6% prefer this platform. 

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.

• "An issue that I faced in the beginning of my study journey was getting used to the facilities and the way of studying as it’s very different than what I am used to"

  • United Kingdom; 22-25; Bachelor's degree

• "I wouldn't know where to start in organising things, and it seems expensive and difficult. Also I'd have to leave my family and friends"

  • United Kingdom; 22-25; Graduate degree or higher

• "Financial challenges and going to an unknown."

  • Irish; 18-21; Some university but no degree

Encouraging Students

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

• “If the opportunities are greater than where I currently live. Or, if there is nothing tying me to where I currently live.”

• Irish; 22-25; High school degree or equivalent

• “If other universities placed greater emphasis on practical education”

• United Kingdom; 18-21; Bachelor's degree

• “A sense of direction on how to apply, how to gain funding, how to make formal applications etc”

• United Kingdom; 26-35; Graduate degree or higher