Strong university progression amid shifting student destinations in 2025
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Pearson Edexcel international qualifications are recognised and accepted for entry by universities all over the world. Each year, we conduct a survey among international school leavers to understand where their Pearson Edexcel international qualifications are taking them.
The Pearson Edexcel 2025 Student Destinations Survey reveals that international school graduates are continuing on to university in very high numbers while their chosen study destinations are diversifying.
92% of surveyed students progressed to university in 2025. This near-universal continuation underscores sustained strong demand for higher education. At the same time, students’ university destination choices have broadened beyond traditional hubs.
Major destination trends
The United Kingdom remains the top destination for international school leavers, attracting 13.2% of students in 2025 (up from 12.1% in 2024). Other leading destinations for 2025 included Egypt (7.7%) and the United States (6.7%).
However, the rankings saw notable shifts:
- Germany’s popularity climbed to 4.5% in 2025, overtaking Canada (which fell to 4.3% from ~5.9% in 2024). This marks Germany’s rise into the top five destinations, after being outside the top ten prior to 2025.
- China similarly surged to 5.4% (from just 1.5% in 2024), becoming a new top-four destination.
- Canada and Australia: in contrast, historically popular Canada and Australia have seen their shares drop sharply since 2023 (Canada from 12.2% in 2023 down to 4.3% in 2025; Australia from 9.4% to 4.1%).
- Spain and Italy, while not top-ten destinations, each accounted for roughly 3% of students in 2025, reflecting renewed interest in Southern European universities after lower figures in 2024.
Overall, the 2025 cohort’s choices span a more diverse mix of countries, indicating shifting student preferences and emerging study destinations.
Despite a slight uptick in students remaining in their home country for university (44% in 2025 vs 48% in 2024), a significant 41% pursued international higher education in 2025. This is down from 49% the previous year, suggesting that slightly fewer students went abroad compared to 2024.
The global context
These findings largely align with broader trends highlighted in various reports on international student mobility.
There is a shift in student demand to a wider field of destinations (especially in Europe and Asia) and an increasing emphasis on affordability and return on investment for study abroad.
The surge in students choosing destinations like Germany, China, Spain, and Italy in 2025 echoes the movement toward new education hubs in Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, the decline in Canada’s relative popularity in our survey corresponds with tighter post-pandemic immigration and visa policies in traditional host countries. Notably, the sustained high university progression rate (92%) in 2025 reflects the continuing strong global demand for higher education opportunities, even as students weigh costs and benefits more carefully.
In summary, the 2025 Student Destinations Survey confirms that students are both eager to pursue university and increasingly open to emerging global study destinations – a trend in step with the evolving international education landscape.
This information helps us to provide more targeted progression and recognition support as our alumni embark on an increasingly diverse range of education journeys. It also highlights the way in which International A level qualifications are the passport to higher education worldwide.
Further reading
Read student progression stories on our Success Stories page, learn more about our British curriculum and qualifications for international schools and see our Progress to university pages and university recognition list.