Shifting global student demand: Asia’s role in diversification, a report jointly written by the student recruitment platform and the global testing company, detailed how traditional and emerging markets have performed between 2019-2023, and how universities in the big four destinations can capitalise.
- Bangladesh’s numbers grew by 129% between 2019 and 2023 in the US
- Report stressed the growing demand for diversification across the Asian market as students look at intra-Asian mobility
- But it also said that it was necessary for institutions to tailor their digital strategies depending on where students come from in the region
Bangladesh was singled out as one of the biggest emerging players, with a 129% increase in students from the country going to the US.
Between 2019 and 2023, the number of students from Bangladesh going to Canada grew by 95%, those going to Australia grew 81%, and the UK saw a growth of 364% over the four year period.
“Since 2020, Bangladesh has jumped from the 17th ranked sending country to the US to ninth,” the report said.
More than 75% of those in the US are on graduate programs; in 2023, 8,314 students from Bangladesh were doing a doctorate; 6,726 were doing a Master’s; 995 were doing an associate degree and 3,329 were doing a Bachelor’s.
“This trend underscores the importance of Bangladesh as a crucial source of diverse and academically inclined international students, presenting an opportunity for educational institutions to tailor their strategies to this burgeoning demographic,” the report remarked.
Also seeing notable growth as a sending country is Pakistan; numbers grew by almost 50% between 2019 and 2023 in the US, by 120% in Canada, by 70% in Australia and a staggering 483% in the UK.
The report also focused on Asia as a destination, specifically on the idea of Intra-Asian student mobility.
South Korea, it said, is becoming increasingly popular – which aligns with the country’s mission to boost the number of international students it has over the next five years.
Over 181,800 international students had study visas in South Korea in 2023, having grown nearly 14% since 2019.
As traditional English-speaking destinations raise barriers for international students, South Korea looks to welcome more. While the demand from China remains stable, there has been a notable increase in demand from other countries, including Vietnam and Mongolia.
An omnichannel strategy leveraging the range of communication channels students prefer can enhance conversation rates
In terms of Asia’s emerging markets for intra-Asian mobility, Taiwan was notable – with Vietnam showing significant growth as a sending country: 104% from 2019-2023. Thai and Indonesian interest in Taiwan is also rising, it said.
“For educational institutions worldwide, Vietnam represents a dynamic and evolving market that offers substantial engagement opportunities, especially for countries and institutions within Asia looking to attract international students,” the report noted.
In terms of student behaviour, students from both Bangladesh and Vietnam viewed costs and scholarships as important factors in deciding study destinations; Pakistani students also said cost was a big factor, as well as admission requirements – something Bangladeshi students also listed as a deciding factor.
But the report also stressed the need to “localise digital assets” and utilise the right social media channels for each region, “tailoring interactions and content”.
“An omnichannel strategy leveraging the range of communication channels students prefer can enhance conversation rates up to seven times higher than relying solely on direct email,” the report added.
In terms of social media, no one Asian country uses exactly the same platforms – while India, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan all use Facebook Messenger, South Korea, Japan and China do not, all using mostly different channels entirely to chat, including KakaoTalk for South Korea, LINE for Japan and WeChat for China.
“Asia’s prominence as a source of international students remains significant, necessitating strategic efforts to understand and engage with this dynamic, diverse region effectively,” it added.