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Several metrics show that student demand for an international education is stronger than ever: some recent projections suggest that by 2030, as many as 9 million international students will be enrolled worldwide.¹ Studying abroad is a life-changing experience, both for individual students and the campuses they’re part of.

Earlier this spring, the ÀϾÅÆ·²è team surveyed our global network of international student advisors. We heard from over 450 advisors, who were supporting students from 45 nationalities, on everything from which destinations their students preferred to how student motivations were evolving. They also shared how shifts in popular study destinations were affecting students’ decision-making processes. Before we dive into the analysis, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the ÀϾÅÆ·²è Pulse Survey. Your insights help us better understand our sector and support the next generation of learners.

To illustrate how student choices have changed, we’ve presented the most recent survey data along with surveys from 2023 through 2025.

Proportion of Advisors Reporting Uptick in Student Interest Climbs

This spring, we asked international student advisors to answer 11 questions about the trends they’ve observed among the students they support.³ For the first time since Fall 2023, over 50% of respondents shared they were working with more students than in the previous quarter:

A full quarter of respondents reported they were working with a significantly larger number of students this quarter versus the previous one. This was ten percentage points higher than the proportion of respondents who answered this way in Spring 2024.

It’s encouraging to see the trend of strengthening demand continue year-over-year. Hearing from our advisors that they’re working with more students also grounds the projections of a global student body which is expected to grow through 2030; now, these estimates start to feel more real. The growing numbers also speak to international students’ resilience and determination. Despite the challenges that come with studying in a foreign country and added economic and geopolitical uncertainty, millions of young learners remain motivated to gain a world-class education.

Student Advisors Perceive the UK as the Most Welcoming and Attractive Study Destination

When gauging which destination future students find most attractive, it was almost a photo finish between the UK and Canada this spring:

The difference in opinion came down to a third of a percentage point: 83.6% of respondents found the UK was an attractive study destination to Canada’s 83.3%. And, where sentiment around the UK has remained relatively stable over the last three surveys, Canada’s attractiveness improved by 12 percentage points versus spring 2025. This is a hopeful sign for Canadian institutions that, as they prepare for 2026 and 2027 intakes, more international students are seriously considering Canada.

Future students’ level of interest in Australia remained fairly constant, tipping up three percentage points from 66% attractiveness in Fall 2025 to 69%. However, it rose to the third spot in part due to students’ shifting sentiment about the US. In the previous Pulse Survey, 67% of respondents said their students thought the US was an attractive destination, but this spring, that percentage dropped to 56%. And, while a higher proportion of students still found the US a very attractive destination (24%) versus Germany (20%), because more students generally thought Germany was an attractive option, it also climbed past the US to rank fourth.

Return on Investment Perceived as Strongest Among Australian Grads

When gauging graduate engagement and return on academic investment, Australia received the highest marks among Pulse Survey respondents this spring:

55% of respondents strongly agreed that international students in Australia were likely to find good jobs and become successful after graduation. That’s 12 percentage points higher than the next destination (Canada, at 43%).

Student advisors are least confident in international graduates’ outcomes from Irish institutions when strongly agreeing (29%). However, a further 45% just agreed, which means that the total proportion of respondents who agreed international graduates from Irish institutions were successful was 74%. This is actually higher than the proportion who agreed with this statement for UK-based international grads (69%).

Nearly worldwide, youth unemployment is in the news, whether in regards to reductions in entry-level roles or heightened competition for graduate-level jobs. While academic institutions can’t change the headlines, they can illustrate how their institution builds the practical and interpersonal skills students need to get the job and thrive in the workplace itself. Effective strategies vary by institution, but highlighting outcomes from work-integrated learning opportunities or sharing relatable examples of alumni success can help to address students’ and advisors’ uncertainty.

All Destinations Seen as More Welcoming of Students in Spring 2026

Overall, in the most recent Pulse Survey, a higher proportion of advisors shared that the study destinations in our survey were perceived as open, safe, and welcoming to students than in Fall 2025:

While the UK remained the most welcoming destination, positive perception of Canada also climbed to just 0.3 percentage points lower than the UK’s approval score of 87.6%.⁴ Compared to last fall, not only were all six study destinations perceived as more welcoming this spring, but the variance between the top five destinations also shrunk.

At the other end of the scale, respondents’ perception of their students’ safety in the United States remained well below 2023 and 2024 levels. Factors including ongoing immigration policy changes, the US’ involvement in geopolitical conflicts, and higher levels of polarized rhetoric all likely contribute to this changing perception. In a separate question, 36% of respondents noted that government and policy changes had prompted much less interest in the US among their students, nearly twenty percentage points higher than the next destination (Canada, at 17%).

Affordability, Career Growth, and Safety Drive Student Destination Choices

While safety and welcomeness are intangible concepts, they have tangible effects on future students’ decisions. Half of respondents shared that feeling welcome in a study destination ranked among their students’ top five priorities when choosing where to study:

This change is remarkable, as the proportion of respondents who selected it among their top five choices has doubled year-over-year.

However, the overall cost of studying remained most likely to influence students’ study destination choice. Over 90% of respondents noted it was highly likely to shape where their students were applying to. The other top reasons also tied in to affordability, both directly (cost of living) and indirectly (the ability to work while studying, or pursue full-time work after graduation). Respondents reinforced this finding throughout the survey, including when we asked about where future students were hoping to go.

European Destinations Remain Top-of-Mind for Future Students

ÀϾÅÆ·²è is proud to support students headed to Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. And, by levels of student inflows, these are some of the world’s most popular study destinations. However, it’s also important to understand the breadth of options students are considering.

When we asked respondents where else their students were thinking of studying, they shared over 50 destinations:

New Zealand was the most popular emerging study destination for the second consecutive survey, and was included in 28% of all responses. It received a similar proportion of votes in the previous survey. New Zealand’s international student community is smaller compared to the Big Four anglophone destinations. Nation-wide, international enrolments in tertiary education grew to just under 60,000 students in 2025,⁵ slightly less than the international student population in the American state of Illinois.⁶ However, since the pandemic-era lows in 2020 and 2021, this cohort in New Zealand has grown steadily. In 2025, international enrolments in tertiary studies went up 15% year-over-year, but has not yet exceeded pre-COVID totals. Still, the growing yearly count and the strong level of interest in New Zealand in our survey suggests that this study destination’s international student cohort is likely to recover fully by next year.

Meanwhile, France was the second-most commonly cited emerging destination with 24% of responses, and Spain climbed from fifth place in Fall 2025 to take the third position. Spain was cited by 20% of respondents (up 3 percentage points versus Fall 2025). European destinations composed 8 of the 10 most popular alternative destinations, a similar proportion to previous surveys. Further, 15% of respondents included some variant on Europe as a region, or the more specific Schengen Area, in their answer.

Finland and Italy tied as the fourth most popular emerging destination, both capturing 19% of responses. However, compared to the previous Pulse Survey, the interest levels in these destinations had different momentum. Interest in Finland remained steady, but the proportional interest in Italy jumped by seven percentage points versus Fall 2025. International enrolments are rising in Italy every year, supported by measures like a growing number of university-level programmes taught in English (this measure is also true of France, and may help to explain the steady, high levels of interest in both countries).⁷ Italy’s growing number of highly ranked academic institutions, the country’s strong cultural cachet, and social visibility among students thanks to the recent Winter Olympics may be further contributing factors.

Japan (appearing in 9% of responses) was the most popular among Asian study destinations. It was also the tenth most popular option overall. The proportion of respondents whose students were considering Japan also grew by three percentage points versus the Fall 2025 survey. This growing interest aligns with an international student population which is also growing quickly: July 2025 statistics from the Japanese Immigration Services Agency note that the number of people with a student residence status grew by just over 33,000 year-over-year to 435,000.⁸

Building Institutional Strategy with ÀϾÅÆ·²è

Thanks to the feedback from international recruitment advisors worldwide, the ÀϾÅÆ·²è Pulse Survey is a vital check-in on our sector. It offers helpful insights into how future students are making key decisions, and what advisors across the sector are hearing.

If you’re part of an institution that wants to level up its international recruitment strategy, we can help drive your success. Whether you’re looking for data-driven insights from our platform, or to connect with advisors at engaging webinars or our signature TRW event, ÀϾÅÆ·²è is constantly developing opportunities for institutions to respond to student needs.

To connect with our market insights, real-time platform data, and global partnership network, reach out to our Commercial Partnerships team.

About the ApplyInsights Team

FOOTNOTES:

1. ICEF Monitor, “.” Sept. 17, 2025.

2. Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

3. The Spring 2026 ÀϾÅÆ·²è Pulse Survey ran between April 8 and April 22, 2026. It received 447 responses from international student advisors in 45 markets.

4. Here, approval score refers to survey participants who agreed or strongly agreed that the country in question was open, safe, and welcoming to international students.

5. Education Counts, New Zealand Government, “.” Updated March 2026.

6.ÌýIIE, Open Doors – “.” November 17, 2025.

7. ICEF Monitor, “.” Jan. 28, 2026.

8. Immigration Services Agency, “.”Ìý Accessed May 5, 2026.