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May 2014 - Education

According to research by the British Council, which polled 2,630 students in the UK, two fifths (37%) would take up a degree overseas, compared with a fifth (20%) in a similar poll last year.

In total two fifths (41%) of respondents said they would not consider studying abroad; this compares with two thirds (65%) last year.

Among the 2,630 students, two thirds (67%) were aged between eighteen and twenty-four.

The main reason for students wanting to study abroad was to gain credit for their field of study (33%), followed by the chance to improve their language skills (26%). There were also non-academic reasons, the most popular being the opportunity to travel overseas (20%).

Dr Jo Beall, the British Council's director of education and society, said:

"It is essential for the UK's global competitiveness that our next generation gain more international skills and understanding, so it's very encouraging to see that more UK students are considering studying abroad.”

However, Unesco research suggests only 28,180 British students (just over 1% of the total) were studying overseas in 2012.

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