A recently released report by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a renowned agency that ranks higher education institutions worldwide states that the decision of 48 percent of Indian students have changed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The experts have pointed out that students are more hesitant to invest now with the reduced chances of employability in the post COVID-19 world. The report named ‘Indian Student’s Mobility report 2020: Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education Choices’ has been prepared by QS IGAUGE, that ranks institutions of India on the basis of academic excellence.   

The report states, “Our findings suggest that COVID-19 has impacted the decision of 48.46 pc students who aspired to study abroad in the recent past. However, there is a larger proportion of non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students who have reconsidered their decision to pursue higher education outside India.”

“While there is likely to be a demand for STEM-based professionals, it might not be the same for non-STEM courses which resonate with the higher percentage of students in the latter category to reconsider their higher education plans,” it further added. The report also tells that while Indian higher education institutions sooner or later will adapt to e-learning practices, the student mobility might take a relatively longer time for higher education.