Filipinos studying overseas seen increasing by about 10% yearly

MANILA  -The number of Filipino students studying abroad is expected to increase by 8 to 10 percent yearly in the next few years, amid growing interest in overseas learning and the promise of greener pastures in other countries.

This is according to International Development Program (IDP) Philippines country director Jose Miguel Habana, who said  there are about 53,000 Filipinos currently studying abroad.

“I think the interest to study abroad will continue to grow. I think it’s all part of globalization,” Habana told reporters on Wednesday during the opening of their new Quezon City office, which is the 8th of their student placement offices in the Philippines.

IDP Philippines is the local unit of the Australian-listed firm IDP Education Limited, which administers and co-owns the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

The IDP executive said more Filipinos want to study abroad as many of them see the move as an opportunity to find work in more developed countries.

“We really are a migration-driven market. They want to be able to study there so that they can work there and, eventually and hopefully, migrate there,” said Habana.

He also pointed out that many are looking toward the higher quality of education in destination countries, as well as the unavailability of certain educational courses in the Philippines.

Habana said the top destination countries for Filipinos studying abroad are Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States and Ireland.

Meanwhile, the most chosen field of study for these Filipino students are business-related courses, health services, and hospitality.

“What’s really growing recently are engineering, and information technology-related courses. So, these are areas where growth is really booming,” he said further.

Meanwhile, IDP Philippines said that with the opening of their newest office at the 5th floor of the NorthLink building at the SM City North Edsa in Quezon City will make face-to-face counseling, study abroad student services, and the IELTS more accessible in the Philippines.

The company said it has helped more than 700,000 students achieve their goals of studying abroad, touting their expert-level counsellors, a global digital platform and their certification for the world’s most recognized English language proficiency test.