Canada is the world’s top international study destination according to international study consultants and agents and their clients.
Berlin-based International Consultants for Education and Fairs recently unveiled their annual agent barometer that gathers response from agents across 107 countries. Seventy-four per cent of agents said that their students picked Canada as a top international study destination while Australia came in at a distant second with 51 per cent.
Both the United Kingdom and the United States dropped off the charts from last year, registering 34 per cent and 32 per cent of student interest respectively.
Some of the concerns that students have while picking a destination include study visa difficulties, financial issues, global economic and political situations. Work visa, safety, accreditation and insurance also emerged as concerns reported by students and agents. Both global political situations and personal safety ranked higher on student concerns this year compared to previous years.
The report also revealed some of the top student concerns that arise before departure and after arrival with ‘difficulty with language’ and ‘cultural difficulty’ emerging as top concern in their respective instances.
The report noted that 88 per cent of agents have said that they provide counselling in program selection while a similar number assist students in program applications and visa processing.
Top five international study destinations according to the 2017 ICEF Agent Barometer
Canada – 74 per cent
Australia – 51 per cent
Germany – 50 per cent
Ireland – 41 per cent
China – 41 per cent
Article published 21st December 2017