In late summer we conducted a brief survey to try and find out how the Coronavirus Pandemic has affected those considering postgraduate study in 2020/21. Although we are experts in promotion and marketing rather than a research company, we were keen to tap into the psyche of our audience and get a snapshot of how our student users have been affected by the global health crisis.
We asked our student audience, “What impact, if any, has the Coronavirus Pandemic had on your postgraduate study plans?”
With the choice of answers being:
None / minimal changes to my PG study plans (No change)*
I am now considering a different PG program in the same country (Different program same country)
I am now considering a PG program in a different country to the one I initially planned to study in (Different country)
I am now going to study an online PG program instead of a full-time on-campus program (Change to online study)
I am going to delay starting my PG program by at least 12 months (Delaying start)
Other (Other)
*The text in brackets relates to the pie chart segments below.
We had over 2,000 responses from potential postgraduate students from all over the world, and these broke down into 49% international students, 42.5% UK students and 8.5% EU/EEA students.
Just over 50% of those surveyed confirmed that Covid-19 has had no impact on their postgraduate plans at all, which is reassuring, and some students have even brought their postgraduate study plans forward, as travel plans and some career opportunities have been curtailed for most of 2020. As one Irish student, explains,
“I had planned to travel for a year before studying a masters but as travel will be restricted, I am now going straight on to study a masters and hopefully it will be safe to travel after I graduate!”
Exploring the survey results in further detail we saw that the pandemic appears to have affected the original plans of international students more than UK and EU students, with approximately 17% of international students delaying their studies by at least a year, compared to just 2% of UK and EU students making this decision.
Many of our respondents were keen to supply us with further information about how Covid-19 has affected their postgraduate study plans, and these replies have given us an interesting insight into how the pandemic has shaped higher education and postgraduate study worldwide for the foreseeable future. Lots of students – UK, EU and international – mention issues with their finances and PG funding as a result of Covid-19, causing re-evaluation and uncertainty. One UK student sums up what many others echo,
“My inability to find a job during the pandemic will certainly be problematic for funding my postgraduate studies.”
Many students are experiencing uncertainty in their future plans as a result of the pandemic. One student from Botswana explains,
“As it stands, I am not too sure [what impact the Coronavirus Pandemic has had on my studies] yet. My school has made arrangements for online tuition in the meantime, while we await the reopening of borders to allow for international travel.”
Amongst all of the uncertainty, it’s clear that universities across the globe are continuing to provide online resources when travel restrictions and campus closures get in the way of their more traditional education provisions.
Overall, our survey reveals that there is still a great thirst for knowledge and a continued interest in postgraduate study, be it online, onsite or via blended learning. And as the world gets the Coronavirus Pandemic under control, we can only assume that the demand for postgraduate education will continue to grow amongst UK, EU and international students.
Best wishes,
Rob Houghton and Katherine Mann
Co-Founders of Postgrad Solutions Ltd
Please note: Postgrad Solutions Ltd is not a market research company and the information supplied here is merely intended to provide our clients with a snapshot of how our student audience is reacting to the current Coronavirus Pandemic.