Overseas students cite career opportunities as the main deciding factor when considering postgraduate opportunities outside their home country, reports Graduate Prospects.
In the Postgraduate Study in the UK and Overseas1 survey by Graduate Prospects, a fifth of overseas students reported that they are considering the UK for postgraduate study – making it the most popular further study destination.
Other English speaking countries also figure high on their list, with USA (12{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e}), Australia (10{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e}) and Canada (7{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e}) making up the top four most popular destinations for postgraduate study.
When asked how important different factors were when considering which country to undertake a postgraduate qualification, career opportunities were deemed as the most influential with over 74{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} of respondents who ranked this as a factor stating that it is very important.
The course being taught in English, cost of the course, cost of living and university reputation were other key deciding factors.
The least important consideration was the proximity to their home country, with only 10{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} of respondents who ranked it as a factor stating that it is very important. Other less important aspects were culture, the course being taught in their native language and entry requirements.
Mike Hill, chief executive at Graduate Prospects said: “We live in a global market and talented people will go where they can to get the best opportunity that suits their circumstances. This research shows that overseas students are prepared to be mobile and will travel wherever the best career prospects exist.
“Businesses and the UK economy benefit immensely from retaining postgraduate talent. We should also bear in mind that while international postgraduate students may decide to remain in the UK immediately after study, longer-term these talented individuals may return home to the greater benefit of their domicile – equipped with a world-class education and experience of working in the UK.”
Graduate Prospects is the UK’s leading postgraduate education publisher and prospects.ac.uk houses the official postgraduate course database.
Almost half (48{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e}) of the visitors to prospects.ac.uk originate outside the UK (around 644,000 of a total of 1,334,000 unique visitors per month). A third of the website’s international traffic is from Asia, 29{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} from Americas, 19{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} from Europe (excluding UK), 9{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} from Africa and 6{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} from Australasia.
Graduate Prospects has recently launched the Prospects Postgraduate Awards – the only annual event solely dedicated to celebrating the most exciting developments in postgraduate education.
Credit: onrec.com
