Cambridge University Press and Assessment has released data from its annual destination survey.
Some 92 per cent of students with Cambridge International AS- and A-level qualifications from schools who responded went on to university in 2023.
More (51 per cent) went to university in their own country than those who went to study abroad (41 per cent). The most common destinations for students globally were University College London, followed by (jointly) the universities of Toronto and Manchester, University of Melbourne, Monash University (in Melbourne) and University of Sydney.
There are more than 10,000 Cambridge schools in about 160 countries. Data was gathered from 372 Cambridge schools, with a combined cohort of more than 20,000 students.
It showed that the UK, USA, Canada and Australia remain the most common international destinations for students with Cambridge International AS- and A-level qualifications; the main reasons given were university reputation and future job opportunities. In Australia, value for money ranked highly alongside future job opportunities.
However, other countries are growing in popularity as study destinations, including notably the Netherlands (for European students) and France (for North American students).
There is also increased interest from students outside Europe in universities in the Netherlands and Germany. Meanwhile, as the quality of local education options improves, a growing number of students in Asia are choosing to stay at domestic universities.
Growing interest in arts and interdisciplinary studies
Comments in the survey suggested an increasing interest in liberal arts courses and interdisciplinary studies among schools in South Asia, where business and science, technology, engineering and maths have traditionally been dominant.
The top five subjects for which Cambridge students applied to study at university were: business and management, engineering, computer science/ICT, economics and biological sciences.
The number of students choosing not to go on to university and instead use their Cambridge International A levels in other ways rose from 5 per cent in 2022 to 8 per cent in 2023.
Cambridge qualifications are formally accepted at about 2,400 universities and higher education institutions worldwide.
Kevin Ebenezer, head of global recognitions at Cambridge International Education, said that “the creative and critical thinking skills” of a Cambridge education “continue to open doors to a world of opportunities”.
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