NCUK releases its first student insights report
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Today, NCUK, supported by IDP Education, publishes its first student insights report entitled, Transforming Student Futures. The report surveyed c.1,000 NCUK students from across the globe to get a better sense of their motivations for study. The findings show that the main motivation for the majority of international students to choose a pathway route, was gaining access to highly ranked universities and improving their career prospects post-graduation:
- 60% of respondents say the top reason for choosing to study overseas is to benefit from high-ranked institutions and overall education quality; and
- 58% of respondents also cite the opportunities for career development, including increased employability and related monetary benefits as contributing factors.
NCUK’s pathway programmes, which provide students with relevant academic, language and cultural skills, ensure that these students achieve great academic results. For example, 89% of NCUK students achieve a 2:1 or higher at university and 80% are in graduate employment within six months of graduation. The report reiterates that nearly nine out of ten NCUK students (89%) express confidence in the NCUK pathway and its ability to enhance their career prospects.
International students are choosing NCUK in-country pathway programmes as they have ambitions to study with a top ranked, global university. They value the quality of education on offer with our university partners, including access to 19 universities in the QS World Top 200, across the top study destinations. They also have high confidence that our pathway programmes will not just prepare them for success at university, but also in terms of gaining graduate employment and enabling them to transform their futures.
Andy Howells, Chief Marketing Officer at NCUK
These findings are consistent with IDP Education’s Emerging Futures outcomes. Speaking to this, Rachel MacSween, Director of Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement at IDP UK commented:
We are now on the sixth iteration of our Emerging Futures research series, and we consistently see that quality of education and good employment opportunities (particularly post-graduation) are the top two primary factors determining international students’ first-choice destination. The exception here is Chinese students who place the attractiveness of institutions as their second top factor.
When looking at the effects of policy change across the UK, Canada, Australia and other top study destinations, the NCUK report outlines that financial-related policies are the most influential in future students’ decision-making. According to IDP’s Emerging Futures 6 research, 64% of international students have reassessed their intention of studying overseas due to the recent increases in the cost of living, with the perception of value for money decreasing since 2023 for the USA, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. In this context, NCUK in-country pathway programmes provide an alternative to international students by offering them the opportunity to stay in their home country for the initial stages of their university studies, therefore reducing the overall cost for them and their families.
Andy Howells added:
There is a growing trend of students, many for financial reasons, who are looking to start their studies at home, spending less time in their destination market. It is clear that NCUK in-country pathway programmes – taught at 110 locations across 40 countries – further appeal for this reason. We progressed students of 120 nationalities through to university partners last year, so our model offers strong benefits to universities as well as students. The cost of acquisition in new and emerging markets is challenging for universities. We are already on the ground across the world, making this investment so our partners don’t have to.
A previous NCUK report, The Power and Impact of Pathways, co-authored with Nous Group in partnership with The IC Global, already demonstrated how pathway programmes are critical in providing choice and opportunity to international students, supporting diversification, and driving economic growth.
