London/Mumbai: The desire to access a higher quality of education drives Indian students to purse higher education in international universities. Students from Latin America, South East Asia, China and Russia expressed the same factor that determines their study destination while many prospective students had invested significant time in researching the work and profiles of faculty members at shortlisted universities. These findings were revealed by research report on “What Matters to International Students?” released today (19 July 2016) by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, global higher education analysts.
The report series provided insight into the perceptions and concerns of the five million international students leaving their country to study abroad. The global overview finds that applicants are increasingly seeking opportunities to develop interpersonal skills and leadership qualities at university, in order to become more employable. Those in China and India are especially keen to improve their experience in communicating internationally, while US students are highly focused on forging professional connections.
Surprisingly, the report mentioned that students from developing countries reflect entrepreneurial mindset as Indian and Latin American students especially interested in starting and running their own businesses.
Around 73% surveyed students in India said quality of education motivates them to shortlist their overseas study destinations. The report mentioned that some students in India said that their home country lacks in teaching quality with respect to a practical and application focused approach to teaching and learning. Students in the US and Western Europe, on the other hand, placed a greater emphasis on the additional benefits to be gained from studying abroad, above and beyond existing opportunities at home.
The desire to enhance employability also dictates student attitudes towards university rankings, finds QS research report. Subject-specific rankings are more preferred to overall rankings, with 66% or more students preferring to consult subject rankings in every surveyed region except South-East Asia (59%).
The report highlighted that a significant 21% surveyed Indian students have shown willingness to run their own business compared to 11% in China, 16% in USA and 17% in Europe. A greater number of international students from South East Asia and Latin America also have intentions to run their business in the next ten years.
QS claimed that the report is the largest and most comprehensive of the series. It is based on the findings from 60 focus groups conducted in 11 countries by QS’s in-house researchers Dasha Karzunina and Laura Bridgestock. This qualitative data is supplemented by 1,800 responses to a bespoke survey conducted for the purposes of the report series, and 35,000 responses sourced over three years from QS’s World Grad School Tour Applicant Survey.
