Asian students are shaping Asia’s international education landscape. What’s happening? 

International education continues to attract students around the world, but the way students choose where to study is changing. A recent study by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a global higher education organisation known for university rankings and research, looks at how these changes are developing across Asia.  

The study, Shifts in Asian Intraregional Student Mobility, expects much of the growth in international student numbers in Asia through 2030 to come from students choosing to study in other Asian countries. Globally, QS expects around 8.5 million students to study abroad by 2030, showing that international education itself continues to grow.  

So, what is changing in Asia? More students are crossing borders within the region, creating more opportunities to study at universities in other Asian countries. QS expects particularly strong growth between 2025 and 2030 among students from Vietnam, China, Indonesia and Thailand.  

The movement is already visible. In 2025, China was the starting point for five of the ten largest student movements identified by QS. Some of the largest movements involved students going from China to Japan, the Republic of Korea and Malaysia, while Vietnam and Thailand also featured in major movements.  

But students are not choosing destinations based only on where they can go. What they want to study also matters. Among Asian students interested in studying within Asia, Business and Management was the most popular field at 19%, followed by Engineering and Technology at 13%, Computing at 9%, and Medicine and Dentistry at 7%.  

The choice of university is just as important. According to the QS survey, students place the greatest importance on high-quality teaching and a strong reputation for their chosen subject. They also value universities that welcome international students, offer the course they want, have good rankings, provide scholarships and support strong graduate employment outcomes.  

This means that studying in another Asian country is not simply about choosing a nearby destination. Students are looking for good education, the right course and strong future opportunities. As more choices become available, researching the university and course carefully becomes even more important. 

The QS findings do not suggest that Asian students are turning away from other parts of the world. Instead, they show that studying within Asia is becoming an increasingly important part of international education. Students now have more options to consider, both within Asia and beyond it. 

For students planning to study abroad, the message is simple: look beyond the country name. Consider the course, teaching quality, university reputation, international student experience and career opportunities before making a decision. 

Asia’s international education landscape is becoming more diverse, and students are helping drive that change. As more Asian students choose to study across the region, their choices are playing an increasingly important role in shaping where international education takes place in Asia.