How are international students changing the way they research universities?
What are the most useful information sources for international students looking to study at the Big Four destinations?
Hello,
University websites remain the leading information source for prospective students considering the UK, US, Canada and Australia. But new QS data shows that other research channels are changing in importance.
According to the QS International Student Survey 2026, social media, education agents and discussions with alumni have all grown in importance across the 'Big Four' study destinations since 2022.
Social media has seen the largest average increase, rising by 7.3% across the four markets. Education agents have gained 5.9%, while discussions with alumni have risen by 3.9%.
Australia stands out for its growing reliance on education agents, with 32% of prospective students identifying them among their five most useful information sources, up from 22% in 2022.
Meanwhile, university websites remain the most widely used source in every destination, despite a small average decline of 2%.
What does this mean for universities?
Prospective international students are drawing on a broader mix of digital and personal information sources, and Generative AI search is set to change this further.
For university recruitment teams, this highlights the importance of connecting their digital marketing with more personalised channels, including alumni engagement and education agent networks.
University websites continue to play a central role, but institutions should also consider how effectively their different channels work together to help prospective students research their options.