Student mobility and motivation: ASEAN

Executive summary

Student mobility within and beyond ASEAN is increasingly shaped by practical considerations rather than aspiration alone. Students are placing greater emphasis on employability, affordability and trusted information sources when deciding where to study.

For students considering ASEAN destinations, welcoming environments, high-quality teaching and affordability remain important. However, graduate employment opportunities, recommendations and proximity to home have become significantly more influential since 2022.

For ASEAN students considering study abroad, teaching quality remains the most important factor. Reputation continues to matter, but students are also looking for evidence that studying abroad will lead to meaningful career outcomes and long-term value.

Subject demand is also shifting. Engineering and Technology has become the leading area of interest among both inbound and outbound audiences in 2026. Agriculture and food-related disciplines have also seen significant growth, while interest in Business and Management has declined across both groups.

Information-seeking behaviour continues to evolve. Official university websites remain the most useful source of information, but reliance on alumni, education agents and personal recommendations is increasing. Institutions therefore need to ensure that their messages are consistent across multiple channels and advocates.

Communication expectations remain high. Students continue to expect rapid responses at every stage of the recruitment process, particularly when making enquiries and evaluating offers. Institutions that combine strong communication with clear evidence of value will be best positioned to compete.

Inbound trends

Subject-level interest

Engineering and Technology has emerged as the leading area of interest among students considering study in ASEAN, accounting for almost a quarter of all responses in 2026. Interest has increased significantly from 16% from 2022-2025, to 24% in 2026.

Agriculture, Food and related studies has recorded one of the strongest increases across the dataset, rising from just 4% in 2022 to 9% in 2026. This may reflect growing awareness of food security, sustainability and agricultural innovation across the region.

Business and Management remains an important area of demand but has declined steadily over time. After peaking at 21% in 2024, interest fell to just 13% in 2026.

Computing continues to attract strong interest, although demand has softened slightly since its peak in 2024. Health-related disciplines have also become less prominent, with Medicine and Dentistry falling from 11% in 2022 to five% in 2026.

Key questions to consider

• Does your international recruitment strategy align with growing interest in engineering and agriculture-related disciplines?
• How effectively are you demonstrating career outcomes associated with your programmes?
• Are changes in student demand reflected in your marketing and recruitment priorities?

What drives inbound mobility?

A welcoming environment remains the most important factor for students considering ASEAN destinations. Almost half of respondents selected this as one of their most important considerations when choosing where to study.

Teaching quality also remains central to decision-making. Alongside these established drivers, there are clear signs that students are becoming more focused on practical outcomes. Graduate employment opportunities have increased in importance by 8% since 2022.

Proximity is also becoming more influential. Students are increasingly attracted to destinations closer to home, while recommendations from trusted networks have become more important.

Although affordability remains a key strength of ASEAN, both cost-of-living and tuition-related measures have become less influential than they were four years ago. This suggests students are increasingly evaluating destinations through a broader lens that includes employability, support and long-term value.

Key questions to consider

• How are you demonstrating a welcoming and supportive environment to prospective students?
• Can prospective students easily access evidence of graduate outcomes and career success?
• Are you effectively communicating both affordability and long-term value?

Destination perceptions across ASEAN

Indonesia

The destination benefits from a strong value proposition built around affordability and culture, although perceptions of work opportunities remain comparatively moderate.

Malaysia

Malaysia combines affordability with lifestyle benefits, creating a balanced proposition for international students.

Philippines

While affordability is a major strength, there is an opportunity to strengthen perceptions around innovation and career outcomes.

Singapore

Singapore is also strongly associated with being expensive, highlighting the importance of communicating value and return on investment.

Thailand

The destination’s combination of affordability and quality of life represents a significant competitive advantage.

Key questions to consider

• Does your institution’s messaging align with the strengths of your destination?
• How effectively are you addressing concerns around cost, visas and employability?
• Are you using destination strengths to differentiate your institution from competitors?

The sources inbound students use to find information about ASEAN

Official university websites remain the most influential information source for students researching ASEAN destinations. However, reliance on institutional websites has declined over time, falling from 75% in 2022 to 65% in 2026.

At the same time, students are increasingly turning to people they trust. Discussions with alumni have risen from 15% to 26%, while education agents have increased from 19% to 27%.

University fairs and information sessions continue to play an important role, while rankings remain influential despite fluctuations across the period.

The findings suggest that students increasingly want both authoritative information and trusted human guidance as they navigate their decision-making process.

Key questions to consider

• Is your website providing students with the information they need to make confident decisions?
• How effectively are you engaging alumni to support recruitment?
• Are agents and recruitment partners communicating a consistent institutional message?

Inbound and outbound student conversion and communication

Students continue to expect fast and responsive communication from universities. In 2026, more than half of surveyed inbound students expected a complete response within three days or less. Students also expect rapid communication during the application process. Nearly seven in ten respondents expected notification of their application outcome within one week.

ASEAN students continue to expect rapid responses from institutions throughout the recruitment process. More than half expect a complete response to an enquiry within three days or less, while seven in ten expect application outcomes within one week. Although expectations for immediate responses have softened slightly since 2022, speed remains an important differentiator in a competitive market. Institutions that combine responsiveness with personalised communication are likely to maintain stronger engagement throughout the recruitment journey.

Key questions to consider

• Are your communication standards aligned with student expectations?
• Do prospective students receive clear updates throughout the application process?
• Which communications could be automated to improve speed while maintaining quality?

Outbound trends

Subject level interest

Business and Management remains an important area of study for ASEAN students considering education abroad, but its dominance is declining.

Engineering and Technology has become the leading subject area in 2026, rising sharply to 24%. This represents a substantial increase from previous years and reflects growing interest in technical and future-focused disciplines.

Agriculture, Food and related studies has also grown significantly, reaching 9% of respondents.

Several traditional subject areas have become less prominent. Medicine and Dentistry, Social Sciences and Psychology all record lower levels of interest than in 2022.

Key questions to consider

• Does your programme portfolio align with evolving demand from ASEAN students?
• How effectively are you communicating the value of engineering and technology programmes?
• Are your subject-level marketing messages aligned with student priorities?

What drives outbound mobility?

Teaching quality has become the single most important factor influencing destination choice among ASEAN students considering study abroad, after a welcoming environment dropped by 11% between 2025 and 2026.

Students are increasingly focused on outcomes. Graduate employment opportunities are more important than they were in 2022, while recommendations and personal connections have become more influential.

Destination reputation also remains highly influential, alongside employability and post-study work opportunities.

At the same time, affordability remains important, particularly in relation to tuition costs. Students are increasingly balancing academic reputation against cost and long-term career value.

Key questions to consider

• How are you demonstrating teaching quality beyond reputation alone?
• Are you providing clear evidence of graduate outcomes?
• How effectively are you communicating value for money and long-term return on investment?

The sources of information students use to make decisions

University websites remain the most useful information source for outbound students, but their influence has declined significantly since 2022.

Students are increasingly turning to alumni, education agents and admissions staff for guidance. Rankings continue to play an important role, while social media remains influential despite a slight decline since 2025.

The growing importance of trusted intermediaries suggests that recruitment strategies should focus not only on institutional channels but also on the people and networks that influence student decisions.

Key questions to consider

• Are your digital channels providing clear and compelling information?
• How effectively are you engaging alumni and agents?
• Which information sources generate the strongest recruitment outcomes?