International Higher Education Trends 2024: A Glimpse into the Further

The world of international education is constantly changing with the trends shaping the way students learn, institutions function, and the world's workforce operates. As we move into 2024, several key trends are set to transform the global educational landscape. From advances in technology changing teaching methods to a greater emphasis on soft skills training, the future of education looks set to be dynamic and transformational. In this article, we'll provide an in-depth look at the key trends we're expecting to see in international education in 2024, data taken from comprehensive reports and insights from leading experts in the field. Whether it's an implementation of gamification, blockchain and artificial intelligence in learning environments or the focus on student and university success, here are the key trends that will shape the world of international education in 2024.

‍1. Tech Trends in the Education Sector

In the past decades, technology has seen a significant impact on the industry and has made its way into education. In 2024, it is going to be more advanced and streamlined than ever before. The global e-learning market size was $278 Bn in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13% to $462.6 Bn by 2027. Artificial learning isn't just a concept anymore; it's a reality. The use of AI in education is set to revolutionise classroom and learning environments, improve personalised learning, simplify administrative processes, and provide insights into student performance. The use of technology trend is proof to continue in 2024 to improve the education sector.

• Artificial learning and Machine learning will make learning more personalised, making it easier to learn languages and adapt to different cultures. Blockchain will make it easier to verify academic credentials.
• AI also offers a competitive edge in the case of personalisation. AI-enhanced chat tools can be used to reach more global students and their families in their prefered language. Removing language barriers can also help students understand complex information associated with their applications. This process is a great way to reduce the friction of the conversion process.
• In 2024, AI is expected to grow tremendously in the education industry. According to a Forbes Advisor survey conducted in March/ April 2023 of 600 business owners, 97% of respondents believe ChatGPT will improve their business; many plan to incorporate ChatGPT into their website content creation and 44% plan to use it to create content in multiple languages.

‍2. Student Expected Speedy Response

In today's fast-paced world, students demand immediate feedback, support and information from the educational institute. This trend is driving the adoption of effective communication and providing timely feedback, support and information. As a result, schools and universities are adopting effective communication channels and technology to meet these new expectations and improve the student experience.

• This year, as educators increased their efforts to grow their student markets, competition intensified in the greater number of countries. As the competition intensifies, the student will face two identical offers. Many students would choose the offer that provided them with the fastest admission and visa application process. Similarly, when searching on the web for admission, the students will also expect information and answers to be immediately available from institutional websites.
• In 2023, Keystone Education Group surveyed 23,800 undergraduate students in 195+ countries and asked them what they would like a university to improve in terms of communication. The top three recommendations were: "Speed of response", "availability of information" and "quality of response." According to Keystone Education Group, 62% of students expect their university to respond in 24 hours or less.

‍3. Destination Studies Becomes Less Affordable

The affordability of studying abroad is a growing concern affecting the decision-making process of international students. The driving reasons for this shift include.

• the increasing cost of education,
• the cost of living, and
• the economic difficulties faced by students

According to industry reports, study and living costs have become a top priority for students, surpassing work and immigration opportunities. Financial constraints, such as high tuition fees and living expenses, are often major barriers for students who want to study abroad. This shift in affordability dynamics is part of a larger trend where students are facing the economic realities of international education, which may affect their study abroad decisions.

• Australia’s cost of living rose 9% in the September 2023 quarter compared to the same month of 2022.
• In 2023, Canada saw the fastest rental costs in over 40 years. As a result, Canada is considering visa capping for the international student.
• In September 2023, a majority (67%) of Americans surveyed said their living costs were higher than their salary/ wages, up from 58% in 2022.
• More than half of UK consumers surveyed reported that the cost of living crisis takes a toll on students' lives. The survey reports that students are adopting additional paid employment to fund expenditures, facing difficulty due to poor nutrition, financial stress, and missing courses.
• In New Zealand, 90% of those surveyed by The Guardian in September 2023 responded that reducing living costs was “very important” for the government, and 57% said they were struggling financially or “very struggling”.
• Across the EU, increasing food prices strain household budgets and squeeze out extra income that could otherwise be spent on other things.

Affordability was already at the top of international students' priorities in 2022. It became evident in 2023 that only a significant portion of the global student population or those students on generous scholarships can afford to travel and study in highly sought-after metropolitan cities. This same trend is expected to continue in 2024, too. Even for students with good budgets, finding affordable housing was an issue this year. Governments in both Australia and Canada became so concerned about the cost of living and accommodation problem that they increased the savings limit for new international students (more than $20k in both countries). Governments are looking into ways to encourage institutions to increase on-campus housing or find students off-campus accommodation.
In 2024, affordable housing destinations will become more popular as the high cost of living combined with tighter government regulations in Australia, Canada and the UK. Similarly, more intra-regional travel is expected to increase as students look for ways to lower the overall cost of studying abroad, including not paying for costly flights.

4. New International Education Policies

By the end of 2023, the governments of the UK, Canada and Australia had announced various policies and also made changes in post-study visa policies. These policies clearly shifted international students away from an open stance to a much more restrictive one. The Canadian government has increased immigration fees. Australia has increased the English language test requirements for students. The UK has made five changes to its immigration policy. As we are moving into 2024, we clearly see the articulation of international education policies' response in students and the unease over record-high levels of migrations.

• For International students, the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) has recently doubled the immigration fees as well asmade several changes to work permits. Under the IRCC rule, students have to show a sufficient amount to survive in Canada. The amount was raised from 10,000 to 20,635. These new rules will take effect from 1 January 2024. The Canadian government had previously granted permission to full-time students to work during their studies, which was valid until 31 December 2023. Still, the Canadian government has now extended that provision until 30 April 2024.

• According to the Australian government's new plan, it will reduce the number of visas issued annually to fix the country's 'broken' immigration system for the next two years. The country aims to reduce its annual visa intake to 250,000 by June 2025. The new visa regime will be more stringent for international students.

• The UK Government has announced a raft of immigration restrictions, including an increase in the minimum wage for skilled foreign workers applying for a visa to work in the UK. The measures include a ban on international students bringing their family members to the UK, with the exception of postgraduate research programmes.

These policies imply that institutions will need to rethink their international education strategies. Moreover, they face the challenge of managing declining enrolment or slowing growth as they run up against capacity constraints. As a result, quality and student satisfaction will become priorities, not least due to new governmental controls in these areas. For instance, in Canada and the United Kingdom, institutions provide high levels of support to international students, particularly when it comes to housing. They will be rewarded with visa processing preferential treatment by immigration authorities in 2024.

 5. Educational Activities

As more students started questioning the value of a college degree and its requirement for entry-level jobs. Colleges also continued to experiment with curricular options to increase the appeal of the Baccalaureate for students. For the renewed three-year bachelor’s degrees, priorly, there have been many attempts to reduce the length of a bachelor’s degree program; a new movement – the College in 3 Exchange has been initiated.  Its aim is not to simplify 120 credits into a three-year degree. Rather, it’s about radically revamping the undergraduate curriculum to reduce the overall number of credits required, often to as little as 90 credits.
At the start of 2021, 17 institutions have signed up for the exchange and are developing specific three-year bachelor’s degree programs. Some of these have already been approved by accreditors, including those at the University of Utah, the University of Idaho, and the University of Utah-Idaho. In addition, colleges will continue to seek ways to add value to traditional undergraduates. By offering skills-based courses and training, sometimes as supplements (e.g., industry-recognized certificates), and sometimes as experiences (e.g. internships, capstone assignments, etc.) that replace traditional coursework. As public opinion on online education continues to improve, colleges are bound to add more online offerings. 

6. Increasing Global Presences of Indian Students

In terms of India’s student mobility in 2023, the country’s track record is one of agility and flexibility. India's students are quick to respond to changes in geopolitics and visa processing. Indian studentf45jk s are projected to spend an average of $70 billion annually on international education by 2025, reflecting a constant change in preferences, options and economic impact. In fact, in 2023, India overtook China as the number one target market in the minds of many educators.

• India has been a major contributor to the recovery of Australia’s education market after the pandemic. Approx. 122,391 Indian students are residing on student visas in Australia during the period January to September 2023. India makes up 17% of all international students in Australia, making the country second after China (21%). Graduates of Australian institutions are eligible to work in Australia for a period of up to 4 years, and holiday visas are reserved for Indian students annually. As an international leader in education, Australia is well-positioned to collaborate with India in the areas of secondary education, higher education and professional training.

• The number of active study permits for Indian students in Canada stood at 320,000 in December 2022, accounting for 39.5% of Canada's total foreign student enrolment. The current political tensions between the two countries could cause visa issues for Indian students. Although both countries have eased visa restrictions, a complete diplomatic thaw is still far off, impacting trade, travel and business relations between India and Canada.  At the October 2023 CIMM meeting, Immigration Minister Marc Miller reported that only 20,000 visas to be processed due to a lack of staff, and the deadline of processing 38,000 Indian visas will not be met, that is, December 2023.

• The UK issued approximately 500,000 study visas, with Indian students accounting for approximately 30% of the total at the end of June 2023. The global recognition of UK universities and historical places are important factor to choose the UK as a destination study. With the spring semester in 2024 drawing near, Indian students are eager to experience the academic quality and cultural diversity offered by UK universities. The growth of Indian student numbers is expected to slow in 2024 for UK educators. The UK government’s ban on student dependents is set to come into effect in less than one month, and there is also a post-study work review in the pipeline. These factors will pose challenges for UK educators working in India in the coming months.

• In 2022/23, India was the main driver for the rising enrollment of international students in US colleges and universities. In 2022/23 US received 35% more Indian students (268,923) than the previous year. US Institutions are increasing their Recruitment in India. According to IIE’s spring 2023 research, US Institutions are focusing on India as a Recruitment Destination. India is the top Recruitment Destination for Undergraduate (57%) and graduate (77%) Programs. In 2023, the US government set a goal of processing over 1 million Non-immigrant Visas from India.

The pandemic highlighted the importance of international students to the economies of leading destinations. It disrupted international student mobility, resulting in billions of dollars of lost revenue across multiple sectors. As a result of these losses, many institutions adopted an almost panicked approach to international student recruitment. However, the rate of growth is unsustainable, and the capacity of many campuses and communities to deliver the experiences that international students deserve is lacking. Governments are now taking a more proactive approach to regulate their international education sectors. With increasing government oversight and new recruiting regulations, it’s understandable that some of these changes will come as a surprise.
Moreover, we’re also expecting an upcoming year full of happy students, thriving campuses, cutting-edge recruiting strategies, and new international education models that benefit institutions and students alike.
In conclusion, the global education landscape is changing as we move into 2024. From AI and technological innovation to a shift towards student-centred approaches, government policies, less affordable destination studies and global cooperation, these trends demonstrate a desire to deliver high-quality education that prepares students to face future challenges. As we navigate through these changes, educational institutions need to remain flexible and responsive to the changing needs of students in an ever-evolving world.