UK PRESS RELEASE: Emerging Futures 7, Voice of the International Student

Career development opportunities remain the most influential factor determining where international students pursue global education, according to new research conducted by international education specialist IDP Education in March 2025. 

The Emerging Futures 7 – Voice of the International Student research, which collected responses from more than 6,000 students from over 100 countries, shows a growing number of students are linking graduate employment prospects with their definition of high quality of education.  

According to the research, students’ understanding of whether an institution provides ‘high-quality education’ is now largely based on its ‘graduate employment rate’. This outranked ‘institution ranking’, ‘facilities available to students’ and ‘quality of academic staff’ showing that students are seeking tangible outcomes from their studies.  

The research also identified that ‘Job outcomes from the institution’ was the top non-academic factor when choosing an institution for 58 per cent of international students. 

Simon Emmett, Chief Partner Officer at IDP Education, stated that these findings underscore the mutually beneficial relationships between international students and host countries. 

"We know that international students choose their study destination based on factors that help them become job ready, with access to post-study employment visas being the key influence,” said Mr Emmett. 

“Simultaneously, we observe that international students are increasingly able to address essential skill shortages in the destination workforces. 

"The research serves as a timely reminder for governments and policymakers to embrace the international student cohort, who go on to fill vital skill gaps and foster long-lasting diplomatic ties between their home and host countries,” he said 

While the research showed that there were positive sentiments among students, it also revealed they are struggling with study-related costs and increasing cost of living.  

“Financial considerations, such as the cost of visa, and savings requirements are weighing on students’ minds. One in two students told us they would consider switching to another destination country if it had lower savings requirements,” said Mr Emmett.   

“Additionally, two thirds of students cite tuition fees, living costs and extra expenses as their biggest worry.”  

Despite the varying external pressures impacting each study destination, international student preferences for first-choice destination remained steady. Australia still holds the top spot, followed by the USA, UK and Canada respectively. Australia has seen a five per centage point increase since March 2024 while Canada has continued to see a drop in the number of students choosing it as their first-choice destination, down six per centage points since March 2024. 

The UK is facing significant skilled labour gaps across several industries, driven by the aftermath of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, an aging workforce, insufficient investment in training, and the rapid pace of technological change. Professions with critical shortages include doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, and AI specialists.

Highly educated international students present a much-needed opportunity for UK industries and the economy at large, bringing not only specialised knowledge, but also diverse perspectives and in-demand skills to drive innovation, research and productivity.

More information on the research is available at https://partners.idp.com/emergingfutures  

ENDS 

About IDP Education  

IDP is a global leader in international student placement and a proud co-owner of the world’s most popular high-stakes English language test (IELTS).   

IDP is listed on the Australian securities exchange (ASX:IEL) and has 6500 employees across more than 60 countries. Our websites attract 100 million visits a year.  

We specialise in combining human expertise with digital technology to help people get accepted into their ideal course, take an English language test or learn English in their schools. Our teams work side-by-side with our customers, at every step from course search through to starting their dream course or career.  

We partner with more than 1000 quality universities and institutions across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our data insights are relied upon by organisations around the world to help ensure policies are informed by the diverse needs, challenges and motivations of students.   

 Most of all, we are proud of our people, who are trusted by our customers to help them realise their global study or career goals.  

Media contacts: 

 Annie Collison – Porter Novelli 

acollison@porternovelli.com.au  

+61 406 080 356