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How are Latin American students choosing where to study in 2026?
23 October 2026
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How are Latin American students choosing where to study in 2026?
The number of international students studying in Latin America is expected to exceed 500,000 by 2030. But what matters most to students when choosing a destination?
The QS Student Mobility and Motivation: Latin America report explores how prospective students considering Latin American destinations make their decisions, and how their priorities have changed since 2022.
The findings show a growing focus on employability, personal connections and practical considerations. Yet, as the QS World Future Skills Index reveals, the region faces significant challenges in connecting education with labour-market needs.
Career opportunities are shaping student choices
A welcoming environment remains the leading factor when choosing a study destination, cited by 48% of prospective students. However, this has fallen from 58% in 2022.
Other considerations are becoming more prominent:
- 45% prioritise high-quality teaching.
- 42% value access to post-study work visas.
- 41% want opportunities to build professional networks.
- 37% consider language development important, up from 29% in 2022.
The focus on employability is particularly relevant given the region's skills challenges.
The QS World Future Skills Index 2027 reveals significant gaps between emerging workforce demands and education readiness.
In Brazil, for example, Academic Readiness scores 78.2, suggesting strong overall university performance, but Skills Alignment is considerably lower at 43.3, indicating that employers aren't satisfied with the skills Brazilian graduates leave university with.
While students are increasingly focused on career outcomes, universities across the region face different challenges in preparing graduates for employment.
Students are looking beyond university websites and rankings
University websites remain the most popular source of information, but students are increasingly using a wider range of channels to research their options.
Meanwhile, social media and education agents have gained ground. University fairs and information sessions are also important, used by 45% of prospective students in 2026.
For universities, this means communicating the value of their programmes across multiple channels, including providing evidence of graduate outcomes, industry partnerships and career opportunities.
Faster communication is becoming an expectation
How universities respond to enquiries and applications also matters. In 2026, 63% of prospective students expected a complete and personal response to an enquiry within three days, including 35% who expected one within 24 hours.
Expectations for application decisions have also shifted. The proportion expecting an outcome within 24 hours has risen from 19% in 2022 to 29% in 2026.
At the other end of the scale, the share prepared to wait a month or longer has fallen from 37% to 25%.
For admissions teams, clear communication and timely updates are becoming increasingly important to keeping prospective students engaged.
What does this mean for universities?
The findings reveal a student market increasingly focused on outcomes, at a time when Latin America's education systems face pressure to keep pace with changing workforce demands.
These challenges vary considerably. Argentina leads the region in the World Future Skills Index, ranking 31st globally, but still faces challenges in aligning graduate skills with employer expectations. Meanwhile, countries such as Panama and Peru are seeing labour-market demand develop faster than their education systems can respond.
For universities, attracting students and preparing them for employment are increasingly connected priorities.
As international student numbers across Latin America grow, institutions that can demonstrate relevant skills development, strong employer connections and clear graduate outcomes will be better positioned to meet student expectations.
