More Asian students are choosing Asian countries to learn English: study

A new study from the British Council published on Aug. 13 found that Asian students are increasingly choosing to study English in closer countries like China rather than moving to traditional English-speaking destinations such as the U.K.

The study noted that the number of students from Southeast Asia enrolling in U.K. institutions began to decline between 2015 and 2019, while the number of North Asian enrollees has “plateaued” since 2015. Researchers also observed that the mobility of students traveling within East Asia for education grew more rapidly than those going to English-speaking countries between 2013 and 2020. This shift is partly attributed to new education policies in many East Asian countries that focus on developing higher education centers, internationalizing universities and offering scholarships, the researchers noted.