Over 80% of Mainland China and Hong Kong university students show no interest in studying abroad after COVID-19 pandemic, LU research shows

A recent survey “Understanding Hong Kong and Mainland university students’ intentions to study overseas after the COVID-19 crisis”, conducted by the School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University (LU) finds that only 16 per cent of respondents have plans to pursue postgraduate studies abroad.

 

In addition, Hong Kong is the second most popular post-COVID study destination, just behind the US and ahead of the UK. The research team points out that the pandemic is shifting the mobility flow of international students, and that East Asian countries and regions are facing more opportunities in the increasingly competitive higher education sector for international students.

 

The online survey, which asked university students in Hong Kong and the Mainland to share their overseas study plans and preferred study destinations after COVID-19 pandemic, was conducted between late April and early May 2020. A total of 2,739 valid responses were collected.

 

Most of the respondents (84%) showed no interest in studying abroad after the pandemic, while only 16 per cent of respondents would consider pursuing further education overseas.

 

For those respondents who expressed willingness to pursue further degrees abroad, the top five most popular study destinations are the US (17%), Hong Kong (13.4%), the UK (12.2%), Japan (10.8%), and Taiwan (10.8%). The five least-preferred study destinations are France (3.3%), New Zealand (3.3%), South Korea (3.04%), Malaysia (0.94%), and Italy (0.94%).

 

Click here for the details of the study.