How did COVID-19 really impact international students' university plans in 2020?

We recently surveyed over 850 of our students across 83 countries, to learn how COVID-19 has affected international students' university enrolment plans in 2020. 

 We found that the majority of BridgeU international students were determined to realise their higher education ambitions, with 67% reporting that they hadn't changed their plans. 

For those students who had changed their plans, 88% told us they still planned to attend university. In addition we found that: 

• 48% of students told us they still planned to commence their studies in September 2020. 
• 59% of students told us they planned to learn in person from the beginning of their studies, with a further 36% telling us of their intention to transition into online learning at the earliest opportunity. 
• 42% of students changing their plans told of us their intention to study in a different country. 

The result?

The United States has been the most adversely affected among destinations. Specifically the USA experienced a 71% drop, with students who initially ranked the US as their top choice study destination now relegating it to a lower position in their destination preference list. Other traditional destinations have also seen steep declines, including the United Kingdom (-56%) and Canada (-58%).