Half of International Students Likely to Cancel Studies in Europe if Classes Online

The coronavirus pandemic has proven devastating to international study programs around the world, bringing the majority of university campuses to a standstill. With many institutions announcing plans to move courses online in the coming months, students are understood to be seriously considering cancelling their placements.

A survey of 2176 international students planning to study in Europe, conducted by ShengenVisaInfo.com, has asked for perspectives on a number of issues relating to online learning. 

Most concerningly, 30% of those surveyed said they would definitely cancel their studies in Europe if their course moved to online learning and a further 22.3% said they would likely cancel. Students who said they would definitely not change their plans was as low as 17.3%.

The anxiety around commencing study under the current circumstances is in line with a prior report by QS which surveyed 30,000 university applicants, finding that 53% of overseas students intend to defer their places for year. 

It is obvious that students prefer in-person instruction with 78.2% saying they preferred this option. The students asked also seemed to have had poor experiences with online learning with 24.1% saying they were very dissatisfied and 13.1% slightly dissatisfied. Only 5.5% were very satisfied with their prior online learning participation.

An overwhelming 88.4% answered yes to the question of whether universities should reduce fees for online classes.

Would you still opt to study abroad in Europe if your class was online? Let us know on our Facebook page or LinkedIn profile.