Pulse: What drives UK postgraduate audiences?

• International search interest in UK Masters study is significantly up for many of the UK's largest audiences.

• Motivations for pursuing international study vary greatly by where audiences come from - understanding the nuance can help with engagement.

• Potential detractors from international study are less varied, though there are still differences to delve into.

Whisper it but so far 2025 has been a relatively strong year for international interest in UK postgraduate study.

Our monthly PGT Pulse reports track the growth and/or fall in search interest of the top 15 international audiences for UK Masters study (according the HESA enrolment data), and one common theme throughout this year is consistent growth from pretty much all of them.

Below we see those growth figures across the entire recruitment cycle (2024/25 vs 2023/24):

As mentioned previously, we see growth from all audiences (ordered by total number of enrolments as per 2023/24 HESA data). The largest growth comes from South Asia – in particular from Nepal +193% and Bangladesh +101% – though we also see a significant rise in search interest for audiences from East Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia and North America.

These are undoubtedly good signs for UK Masters study after a tumultuous 2024, but how can you best utilise your recruitment campaigns to take advantage of this growing interest in UK study?

Well, we’re going to explore that today.

Our prospective student survey asks each respondent to select their largest motivations and their largest obstacles to pursuing international study. We will breakdown their responses by audience region to begin to understand how you can most effectively shape your messaging to both ease pressure points and entice new enrolments.

First, let’s explore the factors that drive prospective Masters students globally.

As a quick explanation, our survey respondents are given nine potential motivations and asked to select up to 3 that they feel are most applicable to them. Below we see those results split by audience:

There a lot to delve into here and I’d venture you may find it useful to search through the haystack yourself – in aid of that, you’re able to filter the chart using the drop-down menu beneath the title. That said, I have plucked out some needles you may want to use when stitching together your various recruitment campaigns (apologies for the death of that analogy).

First off, there is significant variation between audiences here, which suggests that there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to piquing the interests of your target audience. Onto the nuance then:

• African audiences appear to be the most likely to find motivation in academic and career related factors. 46% and 47% respectively selected skill development and qualification for higher level study, while their 3rd most influential driver is career progress – selected by 40%. This might be expected given that this audience is typically older and often international study for them is a move to elevate or switch an established career, therefore campaigns emphasizing professional and academic progress may be most effective here.

• Southeast Asian audiences are similarly career driven with 39% and 37% selecting career entry and career progression respectively. However, they are also (along with East Asian audiences) the most likely to find motivation in a sense of adventure. A campaign leaning on the adventurousness of international study and the potential outcomes would appear to be an effectively way of enticing them.

• After adventure (40%), East Asians are likely to look to both earnings (37%) and challenge (33%) as the key drivers for seeking international study. This suggests that they remain a more traditional audience for higher education with a focus on tangible outcomes whilst also enjoying the intrinsic excitement of studying abroad.

• By contrast, South Asians are the least likely audience to select challenge and adventure. Instead their main drivers appear to be spread across academic and career progression – à la our African respondents – as well as subject interest (33%). That mix of focuses on both tangible outcomes and seeking greater knowledge in specialist disciplines suggests that storytelling with a focus on becoming an expert in a chosen field may be more effective at engaging this audience than simply focusing on accessing a career.

• Finally, western audiences (Europeans and North Americans) are the most likely to select subject interest. It is the top motivation for both closely followed by skill development. Highlighting your subject offerings and the skills they provide could be the way to cut through the noise with these audiences.

And so, having explored the factors that most strongly propel prospective international students, let’s take a look at those that may get in their way.

Once again, survey respondents are given a variety of potential detractors and asked to select up to 3 that they feel are most likely to prevent them from pursuing international education. Below we see the percentage of selection by each audience:

The first point of note here is that, while motivations tend to differ rather significantly between audiences, concerns remain broadly similar. Cost is almost always the largest concern for all prospective international students. This is typically followed by eligibility, while other options see a similar amount of selections across the board.

One benefit to this is that it is easier to answer potential concerns as they’re likely to be remain broadly relevant across all prospective audiences. However, we do still find some nuance within the data:

• First among them, African audiences are the most likely to see cost as a potential detractor, which makes sense as we know this to be a price-conscious audience. It is interesting, however, to note that they are also the least likely to see the value of international HE as a concern, meaning they are likely eager to undertake international study provided it is financially feasible. Providing easy-to-find advice regarding fees and potential funding options seems a sensible way to approach this potential concern.

• Conversely, East Asians are far more likely to question the value of international education. This aligns with our previous assertion that this audience is likely to focus on tangible outcomes – emphasizing the ROI of international study is likely to be more important for this audience than others.

• Finally, South Asians are the most likely audience to see an obstacle in safety and the second most likely to select politics as a potential detractor. It’s understandable that this would be a concern for many international audiences given much of the anti-immigration rhetoric regularly heard across the globe. It therefore seems more important that ever to emphasize stability where possible and highlight the wonderful global experiences of international students in order to alleviate these potential concerns.

Once again, there are a great many insights that can be found in these datasets and I would encourage you to search for others you may be able to put into action.

International education is a confusing place for a great many prospective students in 2025 but, as we’ve seen, there are strong signs that the UK is a study destination as sought after now as it ever has been by many of its largest audiences. Understanding how to engage prospective audiences and alleviate potential detractors will be a key part of capitalising on that interest.

Whatever your current focus, our team can help you find (and reach) the right audiences looking for your Masters options.