Last month, we shared our survey results on what future international students are looking for in 2025. Amid sector shifts, students are increasingly concerned about affordability and post-study career alignment. Now, we’re turning our spotlight on international student recruitment professionals, gathering their insights as experts on broader trends among prospective international students.
This March, nearly 450 international student recruitment professionals from 45 countries responded to the Spring 2025 ApplyBoard Recruitment Partner (RP) Pulse Survey.1 They shared their thoughts on the appeal of top study destinations, how policy and government changes were shifting student interest, and how student inflows have changed in their offices over the most recent quarter.
Below, we’ll dive into how the latest RP Pulse Survey responses compared to Pulse Surveys conducted in 2023 and 2024. From bolstered confidence in the United Kingdom as a study destination to counsellors’ interest in seeing advanced technology built into recruitment tools, the survey results showed recruiters’ dedication to helping students unlock their potential in a quickly changing world.
Key Insights at a Glance
- 51% of counsellor respondents said their students saw the UK as a “very attractive” destination, a significant increase from the 29% we observed in our Fall 2024 RP Pulse Survey.
- The UK was also ranked number one among ApplyBoard’s destination countries2 based on how welcoming, open, and safe it is seen to be for international students.
- France, Finland, and New Zealand were the most popular alternative study destinations cited by RPs.
- 50% of RPs were working with more prospective international students over the last three months than in the previous quarter.
Interest in Studying Abroad Continues to Rebound
Despite many of the policy and economic challenges facing international education, overall student demand remains high. Even in our Fall 2024 RP Pulse Survey report, more RP respondents reported that the number of future students they were working with had grown, compared to our Spring 2024 results.
Now, in our Spring 2025 RP Pulse Survey results, this proportion of students continued to climb:
This spring, nearly 20% of RPs noted a “significant increase” in the number of clients they were working with who wanted to become international students. Year-over-year, this is up by four percentage points.
Meanwhile, the proportion of recruitment counsellors who saw a “moderate increase” in interest in studying abroad grew by 13 percentage points year-over-year, from 18% in Spring 2024 to 31% in Spring 2025. This continued improvement in interest levels speaks to international students’ resilience: While global market and policy changes may be affecting where they choose to study abroad, and for how long, students are determined to pursue their education goals.
The UK Tops Future Students’ Lists for Attractiveness and Safety
If more students are planning to study abroad, where are they planning to study? According to our Spring 2025 RP Pulse Survey, two thirds of counsellors noted their students were largely interested in established destinations like Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the UK, and the United States.
When we asked how these popular destinations compared to each other, the United Kingdom took the top spot. Just over 50% of respondents noted their students saw the UK as a “very attractive” destination, which was only true for 29% of respondents in our previous survey:
Beyond the UK, the United States kept its lead over Canada as the second most attractive destination. However, the proportion of students who found both countries “very attractive” dropped compared to our Fall 2024 survey findings: by six percentage points for the US, and by seven percentage points for Canada.
After a year of policy changes and back-and-forth around caps on international students, Australia’s overall attractiveness to students dipped in Fall 2024 to 57%.3 This spring, however, that proportion jumped up 10 percentage points. Now, 67% of respondents report that their students see Australia as an attractive option.
Future Students See the UK as the Most Welcoming Destination
Looking closer at why students are drawn to these destinations, we asked counsellors how students felt about specific destination factors. When it came to the most welcoming destination, Canada had topped the list in the previous three RP Pulse Surveys, but it dropped to fourth place in the Spring 2025 results:
In Spring 2025, 88% of survey respondents agreed the UK was an open, safe, and welcoming destination for international students.4 Our survey also showed that counsellors’ outlook on Australia has warmed significantly, only a year after this rating dropped below 60% amid updates to the minimum English language proficiency levels for students, increased proof of finances, and process updates like the Genuine Student Requirement. In fact, Australia was seen as the second most welcoming destination with 81% approval.
Meanwhile, as recruitment professionals become more familiar with quickly growing alternative destinations, respondents’ outlook on Germany and Ireland has improved. Germany was viewed as the third most welcoming destination, ranking within 0.1% of Australia. By comparison, Ireland and Canada virtually tied for fourth, with Canada narrowly ahead of Ireland.
Spring 2025 marked a slight reversal of the US’ slow upward trend: 74% of respondents viewed it as an open, safe and welcoming study destination, compared to 78% in Fall 2024.
Government Policies Drive Shifting Student Interest Toward Stable Destinations
In 2024, international education and immigration policy changes reshaped the study abroad landscape. This was particularly notable in countries like Canada, which introduced a cap on international students while also changing eligibility guidelines for its popular post-graduation work permit program. Now, a quarter into 2025, we’re better able to see how last year’s changes are influencing students and RPs.
When asked how student interest was affected by recent government or policy changes, the degree to which these changes mattered varied by destination:
The impact of policy and government changes on student perception was the most positive for the UK with 46% of respondents noting increased student interest. This approval was likely buoyed by the Starmer government’s election in July 2024, which has repeatedly signalled its support for international students. While the UK’s revised dependents policy did contribute to a 12% drop in study visa applications in 2024, early 2025 institution data suggests that student numbers may begin to rebound this year.
Meanwhile, student outlooks related to government and policy changes in Australia and the US were divided fairly equally between increased interest, neutrality, and decreased interest for both countries.5
At the other end of the scale, 60% of respondents reported that government or policy changes had negatively affected students’ interest in Canada. However, it is worth noting that respondents also had the most polarized opinions about Canada: only 9% noted no change in student opinion, compared to the other three countries, where the proportion of neutral answers ranged from 27% to 29%.
We asked future international students the same question in our latest Student Pulse Survey. The students were more optimistic: interest levels related to policy change were at least twice as positive as they were negative for all four countries.
Increased Interest in Diverse Study Destinations Beyond ‘Big Four’
While student interest in the Big Four destinations remains high,6 33% of respondents in our Spring 2025 RP Pulse Survey shared that their students were also considering destinations beyond the Big Four, Germany, and Ireland. Let’s look at where else future international students plan to go:7
Nine out of the top ten destinations respondents shared were in Europe. In fact, “Europe” as a region was the fifth-most popular response to this open-ended question.
France topped the list, keeping its crown from our Fall 2024 RP Pulse Survey. 24% of respondents’ students were drawn in by France’s history of academic excellence, accessible tuition, and Paris’ status as a top student city.8 Finland came in second (23%): this safe and beautiful Nordic country offers over 600 degree programmes in English, and streamlined pathways to permanent residency for grads, attracting students from around the world.9 New Zealand was the third most popular choice with 16% of responses. New Zealand’s relaxed lifestyle and history of high-performing graduates are strong draws for future students.10
That said, several Asian destinations were also top-of-mind: Singapore was the most popular Asian destination cited, followed closely by the United Arab Emirates (and Dubai, which received 4% of the total responses by itself). Several respondents also noted they’re supporting students interested in studying in Malaysia, South Korea, and China.
Enthusiasm For Integrating AI Into Recruitment Processes
In ApplyBoard’s 2025 Trends Report, our team looked into how technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning was reshaping in-class learning and institutional efficiency.
As we look to the future of the sector, we checked in to see how RPs felt about AI-driven tools. The majority of their responses were very positive:
85% of respondents found it important to their business that the tools they and others use to support international students integrated tech like AI and machine learning.11 When effectively deployed, these technologies can improve processing times, boost accuracy levels, and make the application a less stressful experience for students and RPs.
Tools—like the ApplyBoard platform—that check study abroad applications for accuracy and completion have a measurable impact on acceptance rates.
Ensuring that program applications are as strong as possible is vital, especially as many of the documents students prepare for their study applications are also used when applying for a student visa. 64% of survey respondents noted that visa approval rates are a very important factor when students are considering where to study:
While the overall cost of studying remained the most important factor for students—aligning with the findings of our Spring 2025 Student Pulse Survey—some of the other top factors have shifted. Opportunities for permanent residency and work-while-studying dropped from third and fourth place to fourth and fifth place. Meanwhile, visa approval rates rose to third.
As more students align their studies to programs that prepare them to work in high-demand fields, understanding their post-study work options—whether Optional Practical Training in the US or the Temporary Graduate visa in Australia—is a key step in deciding their destination.
ApplyBoard Can Help Turn Insights into Strategy
Thanks to the feedback from international recruitment professionals worldwide, the ApplyBoard RP Pulse Survey is a helpful check-in on our sector. It offers unique insights into what prospective students are considering, and what student counsellors are hearing day-to-day. To the RPs who participated in this edition of our survey, thank you! By sharing your thoughts, you help us see how we can address future challenges—and create opportunities—for students and industry partners.
If your institution is looking to level up your international recruitment strategies, ApplyBoard can help. Our platform helps teams at academic institutions to engage with future students around the world. Through using our market insights, real-time data, and a global network of recruitment partners (many of whom you’ve heard from, above), we can support your recruitment strategies so they adapt effectively to shifting student needs.
Start a conversation today: reach out to our Partner Relations team.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. The Spring 2025 Recruitment Partner Pulse Survey was open from March 11 to March 22, 2025. It received 436 responses from international recruitment professionals in 45 countries.
2. Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the UK, and the US.
3. This includes respondents who indicated Australia was either “very attractive” or “attractive” to their students.
4. This includes respondents who “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that the UK was an open, safe, and welcoming destination.
5. This edition of the RP Pulse Survey ran in mid-March 2025, concurrent with the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, but preceding the revocation of hundreds of international student visas in late March and April.
6. The “Big Four” refers to popular Anglophone study destinations Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US.
7. This was an open-ended question, allowing respondents to write in as many countries as they wished.
8. QS, “Best Student Cities 2025.” June 17, 2024.
9. Study in Finland, “Why Study in Finland?” Accessed Apr. 8, 2025.
10. Education New Zealand, “New Zealand Education Quality and Standards.” 2025, accessed Apr. 7, 2025.
11. This includes respondents who chose the “very important” and “somewhat important” options.
