Flows of international students and Covid-19 facts
Intelligent Overseas Education Travel Update: As Covid-19 news and regulations continue to disrupt students’ future education and employment goals, international student advisers and counsellors worldwide have had to find new ways of supporting students amid the ongoing volatility. The reality is that this is a challenging assignment in today’s environment. We need to provide counsellors with the information to best guide students interested in learning abroad during these uncertain times. It will be the setting for responsible counselling discussions during the 5th Annual IC3 Conference, held in Delhi, India, and virtually from August 25-26, 2021. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the study looked into critical international student mobility trends and host countries’ roles in supplying international students with academic opportunities and increased competition among nations to attract international students.
Also discussed are the pandemic’s effects on global student mobility and how it has impacted international students and the countries that hosted them. Understanding the Flows of Mobility International student mobility has already reached 5.6 million pupils, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It was on track to get more than 8 million students by 2025. In recent decades, as the number of international students has increased, the destinations of these students have shifted, reflecting increased global competition among countries seeking to attract international students to their borders. For international students, the United States is the most preferred destination. In 2020, one out of every five internationally mobile students (or 20 per cent) will be studying in the United States of America (Project Atlas, 2020). Following the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada are the next significant hosts.
In most top host nations (including the United States), students from China and India accounted for more than half of all international students in 2010. However, in 2020, these two countries accounted for only one-quarter of all international students worldwide (UNESCO, 2020). Germany, Vietnam, South Korea, and France were among the top five sending countries globally. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, international student mobility is increasing. As a result of the Covid-19 storm that delayed travel and daily routines in the first half of 2020, many projected that international student enrolment would be significantly reduced (American Council on Education, 2020; DiMaria, 2020). But the anticipated reduction in international student enrolment in many nations for the fall 2020 semester was not as sharp as higher education executives and experts had feared at the outset of the pandemic.
The data from prominent host nations reveals various emerging trends in the field of foreign student enrolment, which are as follows:
The number of students enrolled in short-term exchange programs (usually one year or less) has declined significantly. Student enrolment in continuing international degree-seeking (usually involving academic study for more than one year) remained constant. When examining enrolment data in greater detail by institution type, the results were mixed. This unexpected turn of events can be attributed in part to the extraordinarily innovative and adaptable higher education institutions worldwide.
What actions did higher education institutions take in response?
To ensure that students receive instructional continuity during the 2020/2021 academic year, practically every higher education institution in the leading host nations reported switching to a virtual or hybrid style of instruction at some time during the 2020/2021 academic year. Universities and colleges of higher learning regularly evaluated instructional priorities in conjunction with public health and safety recommendations during the 2020/2021 academic year. For students enrolled during the 2021/2021 academic year, the form of teaching they received had repercussions for various elements of their lives, including their mental health and well-being and their financial well-being. Higher education institutions worldwide collaborated with organizations and groups to meet the diverse demands of their students.
What comes next?
As summer draws to a close, higher education institutions focus on preparing for the fall semester. Many institutions have found themselves caught between their desire to provide support to international students and the regulations of their respective countries regarding travel, immigration, and public health care for overseas students. The last 18 months have demonstrated to us all that international education will continue in various formats, with students enthusiastic about teaching abroad and many nations eager to host them this autumn and future, despite these obstacles.
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