“The lack of Covid-related questions from Chinese students this month is particularly surprising, considering recent lockdowns in some of the country’s biggest cities. You’d expect to see questions coming through from prospective students about the availability of online courses, or the provision of chartered flights, for example. The fact that they aren’t asking these questions is concerning because it indicates that many may have just written off the prospect of UK study altogether for this year.”
Jennifer Parsons, Product and Partnerships Director
International picture by offer holders
- There has been a 36% increase in the volume of offers made to international students across the UniQuest partner group so far in 2022 – and these are overwhelmingly from Nigeria. Nigerian growth is masking some of the decline we’re seeing in other markets.
- Only 2% of Nigerian offers are for undergraduate courses, with Nigerian students applying heavily for Management, Data Science and Accounting courses.
- Some increase in activity in the Saudi Arabian market thanks to scholarships returning. But these applications have come late in the cycle and many courses have already closed – so unlikely we’ll see a real increase in Saudi volume this year.
- South East Asia continues to struggle – volumes are struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels across Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
International picture by firm acceptances
- Firm acceptances from international students have grown by 35% across the UniQuest Group, with Nigeria dominating this growth.
- In addition to Sri Lanka, we’re now starting to see concerns from Nepal around getting funding out of the country.
- Covid-19 is still impacting China more than any other market. Students are much quieter than expected – we’re not seeing any of the usual Covid questions, which suggests return to growth will only happen in 2023.
