New research reveals 54% of prospective international students indicate the upcoming election outcome will have no influence on their decision to study in the US, a shift from the previous presidential election.
The upcoming presidential election in the United States may have less of an impact on international students’ study decisions than the previous election, according to new research by international education specialists IDP Education.
More than half of respondents (54%) indicated that the election outcome will not impact their decision to study in the US. This is a shift from IDP’s 2021 post-election survey, in which 67% of international students indicated they were more likely to study in the US following Joe Biden’s victory.
In this new research of 916 respondents, only 35% of students indicated the election may influence their decision, ranging from slightly to significantly. Of this 35%, there was a slight preference for a Kamala Harris presidency (57%). Additional variants were seen by gender, with more male respondents favoring Donald Trump than females (49% vs. 38%).
Simon Emmett, CEO of IDP Connect, said the research also showed that restrictive policy environments in other destination countries may be boosting student interest in the US, which could be good news for US institutions.
"Regardless of the election outcome, many international students have lifelong goals of studying in the US - demonstrating the strong brand of US institutions globally," Emmett said.
"Encouragingly for the US sector, our survey showed that recent policy changes in Canada, UK and Australia have prompted new students - up to a quarter of respondents - to also consider the US as a top destination."
"This presents a unique opportunity for US institutions to attract and support this growing pool of talent."
Survey respondents ranked the US’s quality of education as the number one factor contributing to their perception of the country as an attractive study destination.
“The IDP research shows that students are consistently focused on practical aspects of studying abroad, such as quality of education, which students rank higher for the US than any other destination,” said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
“While we know that some students will be monitoring how the election outcome may impact international student policies, ultimately we must focus on our areas of strength and international student success and outcomes in order to continue to attract the brightest and best students to our diverse, world-leading institutions.”
To learn more about the research, download the infographic.
About IDP Education’s research
IDP’s Pulse Surveys are focused mini surveys as part of our ongoing research to amplify the voice of international students globally. Pulse Surveys aim to capture the pulse of current trends, awareness and perceptions in the moment as complementary research to our larger student surveys such as Emerging Futures. For more information about the International Student Pulse Survey results, follow IDP Connect’s social media accounts.
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 6,500 employees across more than 60 countries. Our websites attract 100 million visits a year.
We specialize 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 800 quality universities and institutions across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our data insights are relied upon by organizations 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 realize their global study or career goals.
Media contacts:
Annie Collison – Porter Novelli
acollison@porternovelli.com.au
+61 406 080 356
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