COVID and International Education

COVID-19 has impacted life as we know it in every shape, form, and manner. Its impact, economically, psychologically, and above all, physiologically is of astronomical proportions, all across the globe. A July study shows that 13 million people had tested positive for the virus, while 500,000 patients had died, globally. Similar to all other spectrums of life, the field of education has been severely impacted by the pandemic. Due to its very nature, the aspiration of Indian students to study abroad has taken a serious hit in the very recent past. Let’s have a detailed look at the impact of COVID-19 on the aspirations of students to study abroad.

Studying in international colleges and universities has always held a certain amount of attraction for Indian students. One of the main reasons for this is that degrees from colleges abroad provide students with an edge over domestically-educated students as far as the job opportunities are concerned. Furthermore, foreign universities provide a better quality of education. While India does have its fair share of respectable colleges, the number of colleges are not nearly enough to support the ever-growing student pool in the country. The annual growth rate of Indian students studying abroad has increased from 66,713 in 2000 to over 300,000 students in 2016. Moreover, studies show that the international higher education market was valued at $65.4 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach (by pre-pandemic calculations) $117.95 billion by 2027.

However, with the rise and the reign of COVID-19, this upward rise of the graph of the international educational market has been brought to a screeching halt. To avail of education from international colleges, it is necessary for students to travel to the concerned countries. However, the pandemic has caused many countries to close their international borders. Furthermore, several, if not all, universities are exceptionally hesitant to admit international students to attend their courses. This is, firstly, due to the uncertainty of their availability for in-person classes and, secondly, the high risk of contagiousness that international students bring with themselves. According to a report released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), 48.49% of Indian students are re-thinking and abolishing their aspirations of studying outside India.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a very detrimental impact on the aspirations of students regarding study abroad, it has proved to be a golden chance for Indian universities. They now have a bigger pool of students to cater to and are expected to have a boom in their economy. Furthermore, students still aspiring to study in international universities can always avail their online courses or choose domestic colleges which have tie-ups with the foreign universities they wanted to attend. Like it is said, where there is a will, there is a way. Even in the face of the pandemic.

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Atreyee Chakraborty