2019 Rankings Name New Zealand Best Study Abroad Country

New Zealand has been named the #1 study abroad country in the world according to new rankings released by higher education search portal, educations.com.

“With all of its eight universities in the top 3% in the world, New Zealand quite rightly deserved the top spot, along with #2 in the world for career goals and #6 for adventure,” the report says.

Every year, New Zealand attracts over 26,000 international students from around the world. And why would it not? It has been ranked the #2 country in the world specifically for education that aligns with career goals. This in addition to the government’s recent changes to post-graduate work visas, New Zealand is becoming an appealing country to not only study abroad in but to build a career after graduating as well.

In addition, New Zealand is known for its picturesque landscapes and opportunities for exciting adventure (for which it ranked #6 in the world). From skiing to mountain climbing to white water rafting, students who love living on the edge will find an array of opportunities to get the blood pumping!

Fredrik Högemark, the CIO of educations.com, says “International students have special considerations when choosing an ideal university and program. We believe that New Zealand universities offer an exceptional environment for students around the world to gain a high-quality education in a country that also has so many incredible cultural opportunities.”

Find out more about studying abroad in New Zealand here.

Following New Zealand in the top spot, Spain came in a close #2 (and #1 in Europe), followed by Thailand at #3 (and #1 in Asia), and Canada at #4. Australia came in at #10 in the world.

Top 10 ranking rationale:

The 2019 rankings are based on a survey of over 20,000 students from around the world who shared their priorities and concerns when choosing where to study abroad. The top factors that students said they considered when choosing a study abroad country were:

1. To experience a new culture
2. To achieve career goals
3. To have an adventure
4. To make new friends/widen professional network
5. To access higher quality teaching
6. To study for free
7. To attain a visa

These seven factors were used as a quantitative metric, and data from various external industry reports were used to score and rank 61 countries.

You can see the full Global rankings here