Leverage Edu conducted a survey among Indian students who had registered on its platform planning their higher education in India and abroad in the next 6-10 months to gather insights about their thought process as the world tackles Covid-19.

Listing top insights from the dipstick – one that is welcome amidst concerns around impact of coronavirus global pandemic on international university admissions and another that is an early warning signal for the industry that can potentially be addressed ahead of time:

• 70%+ of the students prefer an international healthcare system. Canada and the UK ranked among the most trusted international healthcare systems by Indian students followed by US, India, Germany, Sweden and Finland.

• The UK is the most preferred international study destination among Indian students with 28% votes. Canada and US are close second choices with 15% and 18% votes respectively. Australia, Germany and France are the other top choices voted by 20% students.

• 76% students are planning to go ahead with their education abroad in the next 6-10 months (upcoming September or January intakers), 16% said that they will take a decision by the summer, while 8% are considering deferring their process due to the Covid-19 outbreak. However, the silver lining is that 2/3rds of the 25% aren’t aware of measures taken by universities as contingencies for the Sep’20 and Jan’21 intakes such as blended learning options. Upon learning about such measures, overall 91% were convinced to revert to their original plan of studying in an international university in the next 6 to 10 months.

• 76% of the surveyed students are headed for post-graduate programs, while the remaining 34% are in the undergraduate category.