Covid appears to have had a major impact on tertiary enrollments for 2021, with institutions reporting record numbers of first-year students

With the traditional "Gap Year" out of reach, the ability to study overseas severely limited and the workforce in New Zealand vulnerable to lockdowns and ongoing impact of Covid-19, many students are choosing to study rather than follow a different path.

An article on Stuff reported that despite there being a significant drop in International students, “There was a significant increase of new and returning domestic student enrolments of 34.8 per cent or 231 EFTS (894 in total) over the same time last year,” at Lincoln University.

These figures are encouraging for the many tertiary institutions around New Zealand, and also provide an opportunity to appeal to students who previously may not have seriously considered studying in 2021 as an option.

It is crucial that students are encouraged to consider their options for 2022 - we watch with interest to see if this pattern remains or changes again.