Students from emerging markets are increasingly interested in pursuing master’s degrees.

The past few years have seen a growing trend among international students from emerging markets to pursue a Master’s degree. This was the highlight of a report by the international education company StudyPortals.

The report says that students from Iran, Turkey, and Nigeria are particularly interested in pursuing their Master’s degrees in foreign destination countries. Moreover, these very same student source countries, as they are known, are also witnessing a rise in the number of international students wishing to study abroad. 

This renewed interest in studying abroad can be attributed to the lack of study spaces in their respective local universities. 

By the same token, there is also a shift in the student source countries that are keen on international education. Turkey is one emerging market that rose in rank as a student source country (it is now number 4), Iran rose to number 3, while Nigeria now holds the second spot with India still the top student source country among emerging markets. 

When it comes to courses and programs, StudyPortals noted a decline in the number of students taking mining, and oil courses while environmental business, cybersecurity, digital marketing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, digital communications, and UX development are now on the rise. 

One of the reports’ very interesting aspects is the shift in the top study destinations. The US and Australia are now being replaced by Canada as a favorite among international students. This can be attributed to Canada’s welcoming policies that not only make it easy for students to study in the country but also make it equally inviting for them to work upon graduation.

Moreover, the US’s anti-immigration rhetoric over the past few years, coupled with stricter visa policies have put off quite a number of international students. 

The question now is: are all these merely temporary trends or are we seeing a permanent shift in international education? 

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