Considerations While Thinking Of Overseas Education

Considerations While Thinking Of Overseas Education

Did you know that there were close to 4.5 million international students in 2018?


RANK	Destination Country	Foreign Students (2018)	Foreign Students (2017)	% Change	Top Sending Countries
1	USA	10,94,792	10,78,822	1.48%	China, India, South Korea
2	UK	5,06,480	5,01,045	1.08%	China, USA, Germany
3	CHINA	4,89,200	4,42,773	10.49%	South Korea, Thailand
4	AUSTRALIA	3,71,885	3,27,606	13.52%	China, India. Nepal
5	CANADA	3,70,710	3,12,100	18.78%	China, India, South Korea
6	FRANCE	3,43,386	3,23,933	6.01%	Morocco, Algeria, China
7	RUSSIA	3,13,,089	2,96,178	5.71%	Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan
8	GERMANY	2,65,484	2,51,542	5.54%	China, India, Russia
9	JAPAN	1,88,384	1,71,122	10.09%	China, Vietnam, Nepal
10	SPAIN	1,09,522	94,962	15.33%	Italy, France, USA

If you think that’s a big number, consider that this number doesn’t seem to be going down in coming future but is actually going to go up with countries counting international students as a contributor to their economy and trying to woo them with attractive post study work options and scholarships.

More and more students are opting for education in a foreign country and as the above table shows, most popular five study destinations are USA, UK, China, Australia and Canada. While the thought of getting an international degree is very exciting, there should be solid research behind how you choose the country of your study.

Some of the key factors that have driven students to these popular country choices are listed below:

Best course selection as per one’s own study and work credentials and the ranking/reputation of universities offering the course options.
The ease of documentation and other formalities regarding admission as well as study visa.
Affordability, scholarship and finance options available in the university/college.
Language of the country of choice and medium of instruction of the course.
Atmosphere of the country, its stability, diversity and inclusiveness as well as general lifestyle and cultural similarities.
During and post study work duration, permissiblity and availability of part time and full time jobs.
Options available to become a permanent residet/citizen in the long run and ease of the process of visa conversion.

Why Is Targeting The Right Country So Important?

Choosing the right country is as almost as important as finding the right college/university and the right course for your study abroad goal.It can be attributed to the fact that each country is differently equipped to provide jobs in different sectors.

While Germany may have more jobs in automobile and technical sector, USA may create more jobs in pharma and software, UK has a booming finance and consulting sector and France and Italy are known for their food, brand, travel and hospitality industry. So, pursuing relevant courses from relevant countries is a good idea to get into the right industry and build your career.

The importance of post-study work schemes in attracting international students cannot be denied its importance in country selection.

A post-study work impacts on student choices as:

The idea itself of getting to stay back in host country of prospective students for the opportunity of gaining work experience is appealing.
There is off course, the element of looking for opportunities for longer-term settlement and immigration and the post-study work route is a very attractive option.
A generous post study work option shows the host countries favourable attitude towards international students/migrants as it shows host societies acceptance of inclusivity and diverse cult