This study discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with the adoption of Distance Education (DE) by Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) due to the pandemic. Purposefully designed DE programs were not feasible due to the need for a rapid transition from face-to-face to DE. The literature highlights that DE could pose several challenges to IHEs, including student access to technology, online pedagogy training for faculty, and flexible scheduling. However, DE also provides the possibility of increasing equitable learning opportunities. This multinational study reports on students' opinions and needs concerning DE to offer research-based support for DE strategies that IHEs can implement in the future. The study involves graduate and undergraduate students from eleven universities in Portugal, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates. Some results include motivation and time management as the most commonly mentioned requirements for taking DE courses. In addition, the blended learning (BL) format was the most popular preference for DE courses after the pandemic, as it offers face-to-face and DE advantages. IHEs need to plan for a post-pandemic scenario, and this study's findings can facilitate them in designing their future digitalization, recruitment, and learning strategies.