With the front half of 2022 in the rearview mirror, mobility trend data from all major source markets is beginning to pour in. The latest scoop to drop in international education? The Open Doors Spring 2022 Snapshot on International Educational Exchange (IIE).
New data from IIE highlights the continued return to in-person study within the US and the recovery of institutions affected by COVID-19. International students are flooding back to campuses, applications are on the rise, and the support systems offered to students are getting better.
Let’s get up to speed on the latest student visa developments in US international education.
Key Insights at a Glance
- 55% of schools reported that all of their international students attended in-person classes in spring 2022, compared to 8% one year ago.1
- 65% of US institutions reported an increase in their international student applications for the 2022/23 academic year.
- 54% of US schools that didn’t offer any method of hybrid learning pre-pandemic plan to offer hybrid classes to all students in future semesters.
International Students Return to US Campuses
After almost 24 months of US institutions hosting the majority of international students in a hybrid or remote capacity, students and industry insiders both wondered what post-pandemic learning would look like.
As of June 2022, the overwhelming majority of US institutions reported a return to in-person teaching and learning. Here’s what the mobility of international students on US campuses looked like between the spring of 2021 and 2022:
Just four of the 559 US institutions surveyed for the Spring 2022 Snapshot provided only virtual teaching to international students.
We’re seeing a big leap forward from where these schools were just one year ago. In the spring of 2021, just 8% of institutions reported that all of their international students were on campus. Today, Nine out of every 10 US institutions surveyed report that the majority of their international students are studying on campus.
This aligns with students’ in-person learning preferences that were foreshadowed in the 2021 Open Doors Report. Despite the hybridization of learning that has gone on across nearly every US institution, students still prefer to be in a physical classroom with their peers over remote alternatives.
2022/23 International Student Visa Applications to the US Increasing
In the 2020/21 academic year, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a 15% decrease in international student totals to 914,000. Most of this decline occurred within the number of new international students, which decreased by almost half (46%) in the fall of 2020.
Fast forward to spring of 2022, and all data is pointing towards a rebound in international student visa numbers. 65% of US institutions reported an increase in applications for the upcoming 2022/23 academic year.
US institutions are also showing their commitment to increasing the number of international students by simplifying the application process. 84% of institutions now offer complete online submissions of applications, while eight out of 10 schools also allow students to submit immigration documentation online.
Looking Ahead to Fall 2022
Nearly every US institution (99%) plans to offer some form of in-person instruction in Fall 2022. The pie chart below demonstrates the flexibility of US institutions to pivot between virtual and in-person learning within just two years:
We’re seeing in-person-only take a bigger slice of the pie each year since 2020, and we’re excited to see whether that slice continues to grow in the coming years. Industry professionals expected that institutions that relied mostly on in-person learning pre-pandemic would revert back to those methods, but there is clearly still value in offering a hybrid model.
Hybrid models offer students with maximum flexibility which can benefit them whether they’re on campus or not. As the wants and needs of students rapidly evolve, the institutions that can adapt with them may be the ones that find long-term success.
Why More US Institutions Incorporate Hybrid Learning for International Students
Before COVID-19, 85% of US institutions were already offering hybrid courses to international students. And while in-person remains the number one choice among this group, the flexibility and impact that hybrid offers some students has resulted in more US schools implementing remote teaching methods.
As of spring 2022, 54% of US schools that previously did not offer any method of hybrid learning plan to offer hybrid classes to all students in future semesters.
From these findings, it’s clear that one method of learning cannot replace the other. In-person learning will likely always appeal to most students, but we’re seeing a broader shift to flexible teaching and learning methods that will remain at most US schools.
Beyond having the power to reach a wider range of students, hybrid learning also provides students with the freedom to choose where they want to learn at every point during their program. Flexibility matters to many international students and institutions who offer it may hold a competitive advantage over those who don’t.
Looking forward, it will be interesting to see which fields of study are most adaptable to hybrid learning. It may very well be these subjects which see big increases in popularity among international students over the next few years.
US Schools Continue to Support International Students
During the last two years, US schools placed an emphasis on supporting international students’ health, safety, and wellbeing. We’re seeing that continue in 2022:
Just under 90% of schools are continuing to provide COVID-19-related communications on health and wellbeing, as well as offer students the option to sign school and visa documents electronically.
It’s also encouraging to see over 60% of US institutions are providing mental health and support services to international students. At ApplyBoard, we believe mental health services should be accessible for every student in every destination market, and we are excited to see the continued growth of these support systems in the US.
Check out some of the latest on-campus mental health resources ApplyBoard partner schools are offering to their students.
Looking Forward
International students have shown a collective resilience over the past two years, confirming their desire to study abroad burns as bright as ever. It’s just as encouraging that US institutions are eager and ready to accommodate this interest.
While the majority of students want to be there in person for their studies when possible, hybrid options will still complement, not replace, studying in-person.
With student visa applications on the rise for 2022/23, institutions that can offer flexibility, accommodate student interests and prioritize student mental health will have a competitive advantage over their peers.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. All data courtesy of the Institute of International Education (IIE), unless otherwise stated.
