A survey by IDP Education revealed that 54% of prospective international students believe the upcoming US presidential election will not affect their decision to study in the country. Just over one-third of respondents indicated that the election would influence their choice, with the majority expressing a preference for a Kamala Harris victory. “Regardless of the election outcome, many international students have lifelong goals of studying in the US – demonstrating the strong brand of US institutions globally,” said Simon Emmett, IDP Connect CEO.  The results indicate a shift from the previous election, as IDP’s 2021 post-election survey found that 67% of international students were more inclined to study in the US after Joe Biden's victory.

New findings

In the new survey, which included 916 respondents, only 35% of students indicated that the election might influence their study decisions, whether slightly or significantly. Among this group, there was a slight preference for a Democratic presidency under Kamala Harris, with 57% supporting her. Gender differences also emerged, as 49% of male respondents favoured a Donald Trump presidency, compared to 38% of female respondents, The Pie News reports. “Encouragingly for the US sector, our survey showed that recent policy changes in Canada, UK and Australia have prompted new students – up to a quarter of respondents – to also consider the US as a top destination. This presents a unique opportunity for US institutions to attract and support this growing pool of talent,” Emmett added. In Canada, the current cap on international students has been tightened further due to new policy changes announced last month. Similarly, Australia is facing the possibility of implementing caps on international students, which could significantly alter the landscape of international student recruitment in these two major global markets.

Quality of education

Survey respondents ranked the quality of education in the US as the top factor contributing to their perception of the country as an appealing study destination. “The IDP research shows that students are consistently focused on practical aspects of studying abroad, such as quality of education, which students rank higher for the US than any other destination,” said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. “While we know that some students will be monitoring how the election outcome may impact international student policies, ultimately we must focus on our areas of strength and international student success and outcomes in order to continue to attract the brightest and best students to our diverse, world-leading institutions,” Aw went on to say.