Five things we learned from this year’s International Student Barometer

Etio's International Student Barometer (ISB) is the world’s largest international student experience survey of enrolled students.

The most recent edition of the ISB gathered responses from 93,843 international students from 135 universities during a September–December 2025 survey window.

Here are five important takeaways from this year's top-level findings.

Students are by and large satisfied with their study abroad experience

When asked in the 2025 ISB cycle, "Overall, how satisfied are you with all aspects of your experience at this institution?", 90% of respondents said they were "satisfied" or "very satisfied".

A related question asked respondents how likely they are to recommend their institution to a family member or friend. Etio uses the responses to generate a Net Promoter Score (NPS). Using a response scale of 0-10, students that provide a score of 6 or below are classified as "Detractors", whereas those that give a 7 or 8 are classified as "Passives", and those that give a 9 or 10 are "Promoters". The Net Promoter Score is arrived at by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters.

The ISB shoes that, globally, the Net Promoter Score has been on the rise since 2019, where the aggregated NPS value across the survey was 15, to 2025 with its NPS of 22. As with overall satisfaction ratings, there are big differences within institutions (by faculty or student nationality, for example), and by destination.

Students feel they are getting good value for their investment in study abroad

When asked "To what extent do you feel that your current course is good value for money?", 85% of responding students either agreed or strongly agreed that they were getting good value in their programme of study.

As we see in the chart, ratings for value for money have been climbing steadily since 2019. "That 85% as we are now is a pretty good result for the sector," says Etio's Head of Surveys Robin Hallows. "It suggests that [institutions] are by and large delivering on their promise."

"I do wonder if there is a link between the improvements we have seen over time around graduate outcomes, employability, and career readiness – if there is a link to student perceptions of value for money."

"Institutions are also managing expectations around cost," adds Guy Perring, Etio's Regional Director for APAC and the Middle East. "Singapore, for example, does very well in this regard. It's not a cheap option; in fact, Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world. But they manage the expectations of the students so that students know how much the cost of living will be [in advance]."

"Career impact" remains the key driver

This year's ISB results only underscore one of the most important observations that could be made of the international student marketplace today: decision making for study abroad is heavily influenced by future career considerations, and by a return on investment calculation that weighs the costs of study and living abroad against anticipated future earnings.

Those priorities come through loud and clear when the ISB asked students, "How important were the following factors when deciding where to study?"

"The impact the [foreign qualification] has on their future careers is the most important decision factor," says Mr Hallows. "And it's always been the most important decision factor since 2019."

"It is important for institutions to understand what drives decision making," Nannette Ripmeester, Etio's Regional Director for Europe, Africa, and North America. "This generation of students is completely different. [Study abroad] has to provide return on investment for them."

Online information sources are having a greater impact on student decisions

When asked, "Which of the following helped your decision to choose this institution?", students noted institutional websites and education agents as the most important influences on their study abroad decision, followed by friends and family.

It is interesting to note as well that the influences have seen the greatest change over time are all digital, including the institutional website, online advertising, and social media channels.

There is a satisfaction gap in career services

The ISB asks a number of questions around career services, including "How satisfied are you with the following types of employment / careers support from this institution:".

"There is a bit of a variance [in satisfaction] within career support," adds Mr Hallows. "Satisfaction with 'information' is quite a bit higher at 78% than employment – i.e., getting a job – at 59%. What I see when I see this is the potential for further improvement; for growth."

For additional background, please see:

• "What students want: The top decision factors for study abroad"
• "How post-study work rights can make or break the return on investment for study abroad"