A common challenge: Strengthening student confidence in the ROI of study abroad
- More restrictive government policies in the Big Four countries are creating new pressures on the return on investment (ROI) offered by those leading destinations
- This is a key reason that alternative destinations are picking up a larger share of student demand
- Designing better career supports that result in concrete employment outcomes can go a long way in restoring student confidence
The trend toward more restrictive student policies in the Big Four destinations – Australia, Canada, UK, and the United States – is in turn putting new pressure on student expectations for the return on investment (ROI) of study abroad.
Prospective students are considering the high cost of studying and living abroad in those leading destinations and then they are:
- Looking at rules restricting foreign students’ entry, work rights, and ability to bring their families;
- Comparing what institutions promise about employment outcomes to what current students and alumni say about what is actually happening for them.
When considering each destination individually, they notice that:
- The non-refundable fee for a student visa in Australia keeps ramping up (it is currently AU$2,000), alongside historically high visa rejection rates.
- The UK’s Graduate Route post-study work term is being cut from 24 months to 18 months in 2027.
- Post-study work streams in the US are under review by policy makers.
- Canada’s international student cap remains in place, alongside more restrictive policies for post-graduation work eligibility, and declining visa approval rates.
At the same time, labour markets in the Big Four are being disrupted by geo-political factors and the impact of new technologies. The youth unemployment rate is currently higher in Canada than it was just after the pandemic, and it is the highest it has been in a decade in the UK – trends that contribute to a more uncertain employment outlook for domestic and foreign graduates alike.
"Post-study work is obviously a key driver for a significant part of the prospective student audience," says Dr Mark Bennett, Vice President of Research and Insight at Keystone Education Group. "But that doesn’t mean it’s their ‘default’ option post-graduation. Rather, it’s one of many opportunities that enhances the value and attractiveness of an international degree. Trusting that the door is there in advance matters whether or not someone chooses to walk through it later.”
Measuring student sentiment
Recent survey research and social media listening studies confirm that international prospects are facing new questions about the ROI of study abroad in a Big Four destination.
Looking just at the UK, for example:
- New Keystone Education Group research found that 34% of international students are less interested in UK study as a result of the imminent shortening of the Graduate Route (and half of the sample didn’t know about the policy change, indicating that demand might fall still further).
- Student visa applications to the UK in the first three months of 2026 were down -31% compared with the same period in 2025.
- A newly released study by Voyage Social Source, an AI-powered social media listening platform purpose-built for international education, found that across various social channels there is vigorous conversation about the pros and cons of studying in the UK among current and prospective international students. Anxiety and disappointment are common themes in those online conversations across tens of thousands of student comments throughout 2025, as is a sense of being valued primarily for paying higher tuition fees than domestic students.
Here are just a couple of quotes featured in the Voyage study:
“The government introduces policies every year, which further deters international students, such as the graduate visa restrictions, not allowing dependents, etc. The new visa restrictions pretty much killed any chance of working in the UK. If you’re looking for a degree from well-regarded institutions, that’s great. If you’re looking to get a job afterwards, just know that your options are extremely, extremely limited and recent law changes have pretty much made it impossible.”
“The immigration policies are made to be as prohibitive as possible. After milking you with insane tuition fees and living expenses while providing you with no jobs, the UK wants you to spend around 3,000 pounds on a graduate visa. This will allow you to stay for 2 years. Will you find jobs on a graduate visa? You have a better chance than the impossible student visa, but it is still hard.”
Overall, the conversations picked up by Voyage include a notable level of concern about UK government policies that limit work rights while tuition fees remain much higher for international students.
A new urgency around career services
In the face of restrictive government policies, it is crucial for institutions to demonstrate their continued value to international students.
This means proving – not just promising – that they are committed to international students’ post-study success. An excellent way of achieving this is (1) customising career services for the unique needs of international students and (2) effectively communicating the value of this function to them.
Recent research shows that this isn’t happening enough as yet. A 2024 QS and Universities UK International study, which surveyed 10,000 international graduates from nearly 40 universities, found that only 3% of employed graduates had found their job with the help of career services. About a fifth had used career services for other reasons, but not for job-finding.
The research highlights a gap between the availability of career services and the relevance of this function in the eyes of international students.
Recognising that international students have more barriers to securing a job than domestic students do can help to close this gap. For those students, career services has to go beyond resume coaching, interview prep, etc. They need support in several other critical areas, including:
- Working through complicated visa and immigration processes.
- Being aware of programmes linked to skills gaps (that are thus prioritised by governments and employers).
- Knowing which programmes are eligible for post-study work streams.
- Avoiding being penalised imply because of not being aware of a deadline or requirement.
- Building professional networks both in their host destination and elsewhere, because:
- There is not a guarantee they will be able to work in the host country after studies due to policies or other factors.
- They may not want to stay in the host country and be perfectly content to find a good job at home or in another country.
- Identifying employers who are open to hiring/sponsoring international students.
Embedding career and immigration supports
Sanam Arora is the chair of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) in the UK. At the 2025 ICEF Monitor Global Summit in London, she explained:
“Seventy percent of Indians choose a destination of study on the basis of overall employability, and they have historically seen the UK or US in particular as a launchpad for global careers. In that sense, the definition of what it means to be educated has fundamentally changed. Universities that realise they’re not just here to educate, they’re here to be that global talent launchpad, will really ace this going forward.”
Ms Arora shared her own perspective on what she would find helpful:
“Before I graduate, I want the university to help me prepare for a successful life. That is what I think of when I think of career services, because success in a career is not that different than success in life. Sometimes career services is seen as something that is off to the side or in a corner, but really it needs to be embedded end-to-end throughout the entire student life cycle.”
Embedding career services means considering the whole student journey – from pre-admissions to post-graduation and offering help to students not only in choosing the right programme, but also in understanding immigration rules and post-study pathways. Supporting students through those immigration processes is in fact an integral part of career services today, especially in the wake of heightened government oversight and compliance requirements.
Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, has department whose name fits the bill for what is needed in our current context: the Global Opportunities and International Student Services Office. That office combines employment research with immigration guidance, and it is open to all international students.
A wider lens for networking
Another important angle today is to recognise that fewer international students will be able to stay on in work because of new immigration policies – and some will naturally prefer to pursue careers in their home country or in a third country in any case. This puts the onus on institutions to connect students to global networking platforms and to career fairs with international employers.
Collecting data on students from the very beginning of their enrolment about their post-study plans enables the customisation of career services not just on the basis of international versus domestic, but also international “planning to stay” and international “planning to return home or work elsewhere.”
Integral to brand reputation
There is a growing urgency to backing up the promise of future opportunity with real outcomes for students. Helping international students to achieve the ROI they expect is ever-more integral to brand integrity and equity, to student satisfaction, and to the ability to recruit successfully in overseas markets.
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