Google has released 2014 data on the top destinations that students are searching for when it comes to study opportunities outside of their home country. The UK ranks second with 24% international students searching for study opportunities. The institutions in the United States are the most searched by students with 35.4% international search queries.  The third and fourth positions are taken by Canada and Australia with 8% and 6.2% search queries respectively. India ranks 7^th in the list with 1.6% queries.

According to the data released, 37% searches in 2008 were related to the UK Universities. This number rose to 46% in 2014, indicating that most of the searches for education in the UK are from outside the country. However, the numbers of searches for UK institutions from India have been falling since 2010. As per the data, India is the second largest market for international education after China.

 Universities and organisations specialising in international student markets have noticed increased use of smartphones in research and application process. Gordon Slaven, head of Higher Education at British Council describes global education as a highly competitive market. He believes that Universities need to reach out to the students and engage with them via social media and other digital channels.

For more information, please visit http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34638279

SIEM India has identified this trend and has been offering digital services that will help UK institutions reach out to the prospective students in India. With our digital services, institutions can reach and engage with the targeted audience through British Council owned platforms. For more information on our digital marketing services, write to Apoorv Aphale with Cc to siemsouthasia@britishcouncil.org.