COVID-19: Threat or Opportunity for the Portuguese Higher Education's Attractiveness for International Students?

Abstract

The paper analyses the influence of COVID-19 on Portuguese institutions’ intake of international students and their responses to the pandemic. Two dimensions are considered: quantitative impact on international enrolments and higher education institutions’ strategies for the recruitment and support of international students. The first dimension is analysed through national statistics and comparison of enrolments over the past five years. Then, the institutional strategies implemented to encourage recruitment of new international students and to support existing ones during the lockdown are explored. Statistics show that COVID-19 had a negative impact on international enrolments, although less severe than expected. Growth has continued, but at a much slower pace than in the past few years. The slowdown in growth was much more pronounced in polytechnics than in universities. Additionally, the measures implemented by Portuguese higher education institutions suggest that these have coped with COVID-19 as an opportunity to rethink and redefine strategies.

Analysing The Impact of Student Health Post COVID-19 Pandemic And Providing A Solution Using Digital Technologies

“…During the pandemic it was suggested to have online based learning due to the spread of the virus. The students were allowed to have the experience of experiential learning which enhanced their knowledge [4]. This framework shift to the virtual climate and settings have been testing however, it may permit more intuitive than customary readout meetings or pedantic talks.…”