Prospective student inquiries have been expected to drop following the Covid-19 pandemic but UniQuest’s recent reports say otherwise. Previous reports have shown decreased international interest in UK Universities at the beginning of 2020 but recent studies have found that in April 2020 the interest peaked at 67% more than the previous year.
UniQuest have analysed foreign students’ interest in British universities from October 2018 to April 2020. Between November 2019 and March 2020 the numbers have dropped by 57%, with a minimum 13% drop each month. Despite the drop in enquiries at the beginning of the year, there has not been any significant difference between 2020 and previous years in relation to the coronavirus. UniQuest believes that the ability to avoid a drop in enquires in the midst of the pandemic is to do with the changes in post-grad visa procedures.
The majority of international interest in UK Universities comes from Nigeria, Ghana, Pakistan, the US and China. Jennifer Parsons from UniQuest further suggested that much of the international enquiries come from countries that have gone into lockdown, and that approximately 7% of questions asked regarding UK study is to do with the coronavirus, mainly regarding whether education will be held online or not.
To conclude, Parsons declared that:
The intent is still there. The demand is still there. Whether the reality is that students can get on a plane and come to the university in September is a completely different question.
