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The more nuanced the analysis, the more useful the data insights. Geographic diversification may depend on location, ranking, or prestige.

We decided to focus on custom groups of institutions:

1. The Russell group and the rest of the UK →

2. The Group of Eight and the rest of Australia →

3. US census regions →

4. Canadian colleges and universities →

5. Ranked and unranked institutions in Europe →

Custom groups

Being able to compare the core audiences of your institution by country or type can help identify new source countries to explore. Benchmarking against peers and/or competitors can also help you set the right objectives for your internationalisation or diversification strategy. 

The sheer scope of the programmes and student behaviour data on Studyportals means  that it is possible to compare your institution performance against your peers (within an existing category, or on a bespoke basis).

It is also possible to identify real competitors by programme – based on actual student behaviour. Benchmarking  across source countries, subject areas and programme portfolios can tell you whether your institituon is performing above or below your competition across relevant subjects.

Are you finding these insights interesting?

We relied on estimates from UNESCO and OECD to present a coherent, global picture of student mobility based on past enrolments. These numbers are descriptive of historical ties and of long-term student flows. They are also somewhat difficult to cross check with national databases despite great efforts in standardizing the definition of an international student. In preparing the data we took the latest measurement available per country.

Methodology: About the data

Many enrolment datasets (including UNESCO data) provide a backward-looking perspective on higher education demand. Because student behavior on Studyportals is forward-looking, this can give us insights into what the future holds. Analysing changes in millions of pageviews over time can give an indication of future growth prospects and emerging trends in student recruitment.   

UNESCO do not differentiate by language of instruction: International education and international English-taught education are accounted together.

Studyportals has the scope of 52 million users and the granular detail of measuring student behavior by number and type of page views. 

This allows us to analyse which countries make up the core audience (80% of interest from international students). This analysis can be done at a country level, for a group of institutions, or even at the level of a single institution.

Studyportals tracks interest in English-taught programmes around the world. Approximately 90% of English-taught programmes are listed, making Studyportals the most comprehensive listing of these programmes in the world. 

This analysis plots the core audiences for on-campus, English–taught, Bachelor's and Master's programmes for the top 25 study destinations on Studyportals.

Data insights to inform diversification strategies in HE

The United Kingdom is the second largest recipient of international students worldwide. It is also one of the most diverse with 29 countries contributing to 80% of its core audience.

Among these 29 countries, there is plenty of difference. Not all of these student groups browse for study options in the same way: some countries have a strong preference for Russell Group universities, while others have a less selective search pattern.

Among the most interested in Russell Group offers are Indonesia, Hong Kong (SAR), Spain, Greece and Japan.

Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Iran, Pakistan and Nepal have a preference for non-Russell Group institutions. 

This analysis plots the core audiences for on-campus, English–taught, Bachelor's and Master's programmes for the top 25 study destinations on Studyportals. Note that data from China is absent due to internet restrictions in that country.

The Russell group and the rest of the UK

US census regions

In terms of interest, the US attracts a very varied range of origin countries, despite a reliance on just a handful when it comes to enrolments. 11 origin countries make up 50% of past international student enrolments in the US.

In terms of student interest, the picture is more varied.  32 countries make up 80% of student interest for destination USA.  

However, this number swings by the region, with universities in the Northeast being the most diverse (36 origins), followed by the West (32), and the South (27) and Midwest (27) with the smallest number of countries in their core audience.

This analysis plots the core audiences for on-campus, English–taught, Bachelor's and Master's programmes for the top 25 study destinations on Studyportals. Note that data from China is absent due to internet restrictions in that country.

Ranked and unranked institutions in Europe

Ranked institutions are often at the forefront of innovation, spearheading academic change and attracting international attention. Featuring in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking is not only a matter of academic recognition but helps standing out from the thick undergrowth of organizations with more limited academic ambitions.

Being ranked however, does not always translate into a better outreach: much of this is due to the work and resources of marketing and recruitment departments. Non-ranked institutions have 41 countries contributing to 80% of their student interest; for ranked institutions is 37 (this count includes European countries).

Certain origins show a preference towards ranked institutions in Europe. This is the case for Turkey, Iran, and Bangladesh, where students are searching more for ranked universities, as well as southern European countries like Italy, and Greece, where pressure for a more competitive job market may be at play.Non-ranked institutions in Europe have 41 countries contributing to 80% of their student interest; for ranked institutions in Europe, this is 37 (this count includes European countries). 

Origin countries Pakistan, Nigeria Ghana Egypt (in red) have a preference for non-ranked institutions in Europe.

Origin countries Turkey, Iran, Bangladesh, Greece, Italy (in blue) have a preference for ranked institutions in Europe.

This analysis plots the core audiences for on-campus, English–taught, Bachelor's and Master's programmes for the top 25 study destinations on Studyportals. Note that data from China is absent due to internet restrictions in that country.

Canadian colleges and universities

Ranked and unranked institutions in Europe

US census regions

Being able to compare the core audiences of your institution by country or type can help identify new source countries to explore. Benchmarking against peers and/or competitors can also help you set the right objectives for your internationalisation or diversification strategy. 

The sheer scope of the programmes and student behaviour data on Studyportals means  that it is possible to compare your institution performance against your peers (within an existing category, or on a bespoke basis).

It is also possible to identify real competitors by programme – based on actual student behaviour. Benchmarking  across source countries, subject areas and programme portfolios can tell you whether your institituon is performing above or below your competition across relevant subjects.

The more nuanced the analysis, the more useful the data insights. Geographic diversification may depend on location, ranking, or prestige.

We decided to focus on custom groups of institutions:

1. The Russell group and the rest of the UK

2. The Group of Eight and the rest of Australia

3. US census regions

4. Canadian colleges and universities

5. Ranked and unranked institutions in Europe

The Russell group and the rest of the UK

The Group of Eight and the rest of Australia

Diversify with Data: Insights for Higher Ed Institutions 

Custom groups

Looking to grow and diversify international student enrolments?

We relied on estimates from                                        to present a coherent, global picture of student mobility based on past enrolments. These numbers are descriptive of historical ties and of long-term student flows. They are also somewhat difficult to cross check with national databases despite great efforts in standardizing         the definition of an international student. In preparing the data we took the latest measurement available per country. Note that some data such as the number of outbound international students from Nigeria is unavailable, and UNESCO uses estimates of these figures.  

UNESCO do not differentiate by language of instruction: International education and international English-taught education are accounted together.

Methodology: About the data

Studyportals has the scope of 52 million users and the granular detail of measuring student behavior by number and type of page views. This allows us to analyse which countries make up the core audience (80% of interest from international students). Note that data from China is absent due to internet restrictions in that country.   

Studyportals tracks interest in English-taught programmes around the world. Approximately 90% of English-taught programmes are listed, making Studyportals the most comprehensive listing of these programmes in the world. This analysis plots the core audiences for on-campus, English–taught, Bachelor's and Master's programmes for the top 25 study destinations on Studyportals.  

Because student behavior on Studyportals is forward-looking, this can give us insights into what the future holds. A strong correlation between Studyportals data and enrolments 12-24 months into the future has been established repeatedly. Analysing changes in millions of pageviews over time can give an indication of future growth prospects and emerging trends in student recruitment. 

These Eight research universities gather the interest of many international students who search for opportunities at world-class institutions in Australia.

Four-in-five pageviews to the Group of Eight come from 23 countries, 3 more than the rest of the country: the student interest is slightly more diverse for these elite institutions. However, it is interesting where such student interest comes from.

Among the 20 countries most relevant to Australia, the Go8 attracts relatively more interest from the US, the UK, Ghana, and Turkey.

Non-Go8 institutions attract more interest from Malaysia, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.

This analysis plots the core audiences for on-campus, English–taught, Bachelor's and Master's programmes for the top 25 study destinations on Studyportals. Note that data from China is absent due to internet restrictions in that country.

The Group of Eight and the rest of Australia

Canadian colleges and universities

A                                           within Canadian Higher Education is between universities (focusing on degrees) and colleges (traditionally with a focus on employability).Canadian institutions gather 80% of their international interest from a range of 32 countries: a very diversified audience.

However, these origins differ in the extent they browse for study options. Some origin countries  (in red) are more invested in college education while others (in blue) in universities. Usually, universities capture more international student interest than colleges (the country average being 4.7 times more).However, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the UAE and the US, are more likely to check for colleges, than Bangladesh, Iran, and Pakistan (among others).

This analysis plots the core audiences for on-campus, English–taught, Bachelor's and Master's programmes for the top 25 study destinations on Studyportals. Note that data from China is absent due to internet restrictions in that country.