The UK – British colleges and universities are reporting a spike in international enrollment as Australia’s borders remain closed.
Considered to be the top international education destination pre-COVID, Australia banned the entry of all non-citizens in response to the pandemic last March 2020. This posed significant difficulties to Australian-enrolled international students who were out of the country when the ban was announced and have since been unable to return.
The travel ban was originally set to be lifted in March 2021, but with the emergence of highly transmissible variants, the Australian Government decided to extend it by three more months.
International students, both current and aspiring, seem to be losing patience and have started to look elsewhere. Total enrolments in Australian Higher Education Institutions are down by 12 percent since March of last year. New enrollees are not replacing students that graduate.
Other international students, like Shaiz Javaid, have even opted to transfer mid-program. A third-year student at La Trobe University in Melbourne, he went for what was supposed to be a quick visit to his native Pakistan in February of 2020. Like many cut-off international students, he was instead forced to continue his education remotely.
After his exemption applications were rejected, he gave up on Australia altogether and is now about to apply for a transfer to Brunel University in London.
He is not alone. According to the UK Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, international students enrolling in British institutions increased by 17 percent. The biggest increases are coming from China and India, Australia’s key supply markets.
The QS International Student Survey says that 47 percent of all international student prospects were attracted to the UK due to its COVID-19 vaccination turnout.
Meanwhile, an ongoing agent survey conducted by Navitas and participated by 900 agents in 73 different countries has shown that the attractiveness of Australia as an international education destination has indeed fallen.
Picking up the slack along with the UK are Canada and the USA, which is enjoying a renewed popularity since President Joe Biden took office.
Australia’s travel ban on non-citizens and non-permanent residents is set to expire on June 17, 2021, barring further extensions.
Read more:
- International Students Must Hedge Their Choice of Study Destination Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic, Survey Finds
- Virtual Components of Studying Overseas Go Beyond the Pandemic
- The Silver Lining of Crisis: Advancements in International Education Amidst the Pandemic
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