Bengaluru, NFAPost: A recent survey report from iApply on the impact of Covid-19 on international students, suggests that the spread of the pandemic has affected the decision-making capability of several Indian students who were planning to study abroad.
Studying abroad is one of the most rewarding decisions that students make in their lives. It is an experience that benefits them, way beyond their imagination. It provides an opportunity for students to make life-long friends, discover diversified cultures, and receive an education that plays an important role in their holistic development.
There is no doubt that the world is currently facing one of the biggest public health risks. It has led to the quickest and the most extensive reorganization of the world order. By the end of April 2020, the pandemic had spread to almost every part of the world, leading to the closure of nearly all the educational institutes around the globe, affecting more than 1.38 billion students.
Recently, the survey of 969 prospective international students was conducted by iApply, an artificially intelligent application management platform. According to the report, the spread of COVID-19 has strongly affected the decisions of more than 66.8% of Indian students who were planning to study abroad, whereas 29.1% were mildly impacted and the rest were unaffected by the current situation. The closure of educational institutes across the globe has sent study abroad aspirants into a panic state.
Several students were in the middle of filing their applications for the September 2020 intake, and Canadian colleges/universities agreed to let students take lessons online until they can make it to Canada. When asked if students were okay with starting classes online until they could resume face-to-face learning, up to 38% of students were okay with this.
The survey by iApply has also voiced study abroad aspirants’ worries amid the pandemic. According to the survey’s findings:
- A vast majority of over 67.4% said that they would be better off with professional guidance while making college applications.
- 69% of the respondents wanted a concession on their tuition fees if the sessions were to be conducted online before they could actually move to Canada for in-person learning.
Analyzing the responses of those surveyed, the main driving force behind iApply, Ravin Sandhu, said, “On the whole, most international students seem impervious to the havoc caused by the pandemic and are still keen on studying abroad, but don’t know how to go about it in such turbulent times. I think this is where iApply by Canam is making a difference in their lives.”
iApply is an AI powered platform where students can browse, shortlist, and apply to multiple academic institutes and programs at the click of a button. It is programmed as such that it determines the eligibility of a student using his/her IELTS score, highest qualification etc. and matches the student to the right program so that they make an informed decision about their career. Also, iApply’s expert counselors are just a phone call away to help tailor-make solutions for prospective students.
The platform was launched in February 2020 and has already delivered more than 1800 offer letters in just a few months. It was developed to provide a hassle-free, transparent, and pleasant experience to international students and is structured as an ever-evolving platform, wherein iApply’s experts are working hard continuously so that students get the latest information on courses, fees, scholarships, eligibility criteria and more, all in real time.
Anuraj Sandhu, CEO of Canam Consultants said, “iApply is playing a crucial role in providing extensive information on programs so that students can make an informed decision as well as facilitating applications from home eliminating the inconvenience of travel.”
