61% students drop study abroad plans amid coronavirus; study reveals

The findings are part of an ongoing survey by QS of prospective international students and how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted their study plans.

A study by a British agency that brings out the World University Rankings every year has revealed that the coronavirus pandemic in India has forced students to rethink their Higher Education choices abroad. As per the study done by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), 61 per cent of students have decided to defer their course of study by a year, while 8 per cent choose to study in a different country and another 7 per cent have canceled their plans altogether

The findings are part of an ongoing survey by QS of prospective international students and how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted their study plans. As of August 11, the survey had 66,959 responses, of which 11,310 are Indians. As per the data shared by QS on Indian students with a media house, almost half the respondents (49 per cent) plan to study at ‘postgraduate-by-coursework’ level (MBA, Master’s and graduate diploma), another 19 per cent at ‘postgraduate-by-research’ level (Master’s and Ph.D.) and 29 per cent want to pursue undergraduate studies abroad. The remaining are planning to pursue English language studies, foundation courses, and vocational education and training.

The decision to put off higher studies abroad by a year could be attributed to several universities moving their Fall Semester entirely online. Almost 48 per cent of the Indian students were not keen on studying their programme online due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, 17 per cent had said that they are extremely or very interested. The survey found that 82 per cent of students expect foreign universities to reduce their tuition fee if they are expected to study online. About 5 per cent do not have a problem paying the same tuition fee, and 12 per cent are unsure.

A quarter 24 per cent of the respondents feel universities should offer to reduce the tuition fee by almost half, 19 per cent want a discount of up to 40 per cent, and 20 per cent want a fee discount of up to 30 per cent until they can start attending face-to-face classes.

“When it comes to what measures they want universities to implement, prospective international students are becoming less interested in moving courses online and more interested in universities holding lectures in larger rooms to minimise contact,” the survey states.

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