Regional

University Attendance Continues to Rise

Students are attending university in ever increasing numbers. In 2006, 56 percent of school-leavers in industrialized countries went on to university, up from 37 percent in 1995, according to the annual OECD Education at a Glance report published in September. Almost all of the 30 OECD countries have seen enrollments increase, and the additional funding has come from a variety of sources. Some countries, such as Britain, charge tuition fees, whereas Nordic countries levy high taxes. But America spends the most on each university student, with the help of private financing.

– OECD
September 9, 2008

European Institute of Technology Launched

With an inaugural meeting of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) governing board, September 15, the official launch of the institution’s activities was marked. The European Union (EU) is providing initial funding of more than 300 million euros (US$420 million) for the institute, which is aimed at generating more European technological advances.

The EIT hopes to pool the expertise of universities, research bodies and businesses in new partnerships. Renewable energy and new-generation IT projects are among the priority areas. The EIT is part of an overall EU strategy to promote jobs, growth and competitiveness in the EU.

The EIT is to involve universities in new public-private partnerships called “Knowledge and Innovation Communities” (KICs), to create new commercial opportunities by bringing researchers and business together. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso reminded board members at the inaugural meeting that the full participation of business partners was a condition of the institution’s success, citing a lack of business-funded research and development to explain the almost 85 percent gap between the EU and the USA in research production. Barroso continued by saying the governing board must now work to get funding from the private sector and attract “the most innovative businesses and the best research organizations”.

The governing board will decide the priority areas, select two or three KICs in the next 18 months and come up with a strategic innovation agenda by 2011.

– Euractiv
September 16, 2008

Croatia

University Corruption Exposed in Police Raid

Croatian police raided universities in the Croatian capital of Zagreb in September in an investigation into academic fraud involving professors taking bribes in return for admissions and higher grades.

While the police did not name any particular institutions that had been raided, news reports said that at least two faculties, including the departments of transport and economics at the University of Zagreb, had been sealed off and examinations and lectures canceled. The investigation has already been underway for a year, and the head of the national police said professors were suspected of taking bribes of up to around US$3,000 for passing grades and more than $10,000 for enrolling students.

Graft has been one of the major roadblocks in Croatia’s efforts to join the European Union. The September crackdown came in the wake of the country’s presentation of a new anti-corruption plan to EU authorities in June, Reuters reported. “It is high time the state started dealing with corruption on our universities,” the dean of Zagreb’s law faculty told the news agency.

– Reuters
September 18, 2008

Germany

New Data Show Rise in Study Abroad Among German Students

More German students are going to university abroad, according to figures released by the Federal Statistics Office (Destatis) in September. In total, 83,000 German students studied abroad in 2006, an increase of 5,700 students from the year prior. The most popular destinations were the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Austria, and Switzerland, according to the report. For every 1,000 German students in German universities, there were 48 who were learning abroad – up from 26 in 1996.

On the flip side, German institutions have also been welcoming an increasing number of foreign students. In 2006-2007 school year, approximately 188,000 foreign students attended German institutions of higher education, up from 100,000 just 10 years before.

– The Local
September 17, 2008

Sweden

Swedish Universities Top Shanghai Rankings!

According to a recent population-based analysis of the 2008 Academic Ranking of World Universities by China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the United Sates may have the most top 500 universities in absolute terms, but per capita Sweden outranks the North American academic giant. And not only Sweden, but Scandinavia in general.

According to the analysis, the United States has one top-500 university for every 1.9 million citizen, whereas Sweden has one for every 822,000 for each of its 11 top 500-listed institutions, including four universities in the top 100. New Zealand came second in the ranking of the ranking with one top 500 institution for every 834,000 people, followed by Finland at one per 874,000 people, and Switzerland, with one for every 947,000. Norway and Denmark produced one top 500-listed university per 1.16 million and 1.37 million people respectively, giving Scandinavia four of the 10 most effective producers of top universities by head of population.

In monetary terms, the eight nations with the most top 500 institutions also produce the greatest proportions of global GDP. Top of that list is the US with 159 of the top 500 institutions and 27.2 percent of the world’s GDP, followed by the UK, Germany, Japan, China, France, Italy and Canada – each home to between 42 and 21 of the world’s top 500 institutions and producers of between 3 to 9 percent of global GDP.

– University World News
August 28, 2008

United Kingdom

Universities Told to Increase Doctoral-Level International Recruitment Efforts

British universities have been advised to develop a clear and attractive doctoral brand with emphasis on quality and innovation if they want to maintain a competitive advantage in attracting research students.

In a report by the UK Higher Education International Unit based at Universities UK, universities have been urged to market more effectively the benefits of a British doctorate to an international audience and to counter the belief that Britain is an expensive place in which to study. In addition, universities need to help dispel the belief among foreign students that the British immigration system is difficult to navigate and unresponsive to international student needs, the report says.

Currently, Britain is the second most popular destination for postgraduate research, after the United States and followed by Germany, France and Australia; however, the report warns that complacency could be disastrous considering overseas competition is growing rapidly. The report recommends that universities prioritize scholarship provision, refocus marketing strategies, assist researchers in finding part-time work, and augment fee support in specific subject areas to compete with the recruitment strategies of overseas competitor universities. Equally important is the dissemination of information regarding available scholarships through university websites.

The report, The UK’s Competitive Advantage: The Market for International Research Students, released in August, calls for a national marketing strategy that would also set targets “on a market-by-market and subject-by-subject basis.” The report also calls for a campaign to target overseas students already studying in Britain to encourage them to pursue postgraduate studies. “About four in 10 of (the) international students who apply for PGR programs in the UK are already studying in the UK,” the report says.

– Universities UK
July 2008

Indian Business School to Establish in UK

An Indian business school is getting ready to open a new branch campus in the British capital in October. Pune-based Tasmac (Training and Advanced Studies in Management and Communications Ltd) will offer undergraduate and graduate management programs at its Kingsbury, London campus.

The Tasmac London School of Business will face stiff local competition in the hunt for enrollments, but officials believe the institution’s brand name will be a great draw for Indian and international students. The campus has been awarded ISO 9001:2000 Certification, certifying that formalized business standards are being applied, and has also been nominated for the 2008 UK Trade and Investments annual award, for “the latest market entrant.” This award, in its second year, is for Indian companies established in the UK. The institution expects to enroll between 100-120 students in its first semester and 400 students in October 2009.

Within India, Tasmac operates four institutes in Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. It has graduated approximately 8,000 students with its awarding partner the University of Wales. The UK campus has been accredited by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education.

– Business Line
August 8, 2008

Cambridge Drops Law Admissions Test

Cambridge University was a founding member of a consortium of 10 universities, LNat Consortium Ltd, that developed the LNat admissions test for potential law students; from next year it will be scrapping the test.

After reviewing the efficacy of the test, the university announced that it does not provide “sufficiently distinctive and useful information.” Applicants will continue to have to write a general essay but from 2009 will not have to sit the multiple-choice questions or pay the £40 (US$70) fee. The university will continue to administer the Thinking Skills Assessment test used by several other departments or the BMat for medicine and veterinary students.

A recent report from vice-chancellors’ group Universities UK said one in seven universities was now using entrance tests as part of its selection procedures.

In June, Imperial College London said it would be introducing entrance tests for programs other than medicine because A-level results failed to distinguish the best students. The LNat, introduced in 2004, is a two-hour test taken on a computer at a test center.

– The BBC
September 3, 2008

Border Agency Tightens Restrictions on Foreign Students

According to an opinion piece in the Guardian newspaper in September, new visa regulations for non-European students are going to “cause universities a whole lot of bother.”

The British Home Office, through the UK Border Agency (UKBA), announced in September that by the end of this year students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) would face additional hurdles when applying for a student visa. After the new regulations are imposed, visas will only be granted for study at named institutions licensed by the UKBA. Universities and colleges will be required to “sponsor” students to whom they wish visas to be issued. Universities would also be required to apply for a license that would allow them to sponsor students.

Once a “sponsored” student is admitted to the UK, the sponsoring institution will have to submit reports to the UKBA stating that sponsored students are attending classes on their prescribed course of study. If the student fails to enroll or stops attending classes, the institution will be obliged to alert the UKBA. Visas will only be granted to students who show a proven track record in education and are applying to a program that meets a minimum level of qualification. They must also be able to demonstrate they can financially support themselves and any of their dependants. Students on programs for longer than 12 months will have to show they have sufficient funds to pay their first year of fees, plus £9,600 (US$17,000) to cover their first year in the UK. Students wishing to bring their dependants with them will need to show they have a further £535 per month for each person they bring.

– The Guardian
September 9, 2008

Private University Tops Student Ranking

Nineteen out of 20 students attending Buckingham University told the National Student Survey they were satisfied with their program. The university is the only private one in the UK, and with 1,000 students it is one-tenth the size of the average UK university.

Some 95.8 percent of Buckingham’s students told the annual National Student Survey they were satisfied with their program. The university charges double the tuition fees of ordinary universities at just over £6,000 (US$11,000), but many complete their degrees in two, rather than three years.

Almost 220,000 final-year students in 267 colleges and universities rated how happy they were with their programs. In this year’s poll, the least satisfied were students at the University of the Arts London, which is the amalgamation of six art and design colleges and Europe’s largest center for the study of art, design, fashion, communication and the performing arts. The Open University, which last year took the top spot, came third. Cambridge University narrowly beat Oxford University to sixth place with 92.5 percent of its students satisfied compared with 92.2 percent at Oxford.

– The Guardian
September 11, 2008

Latest Overseas Enrollment Numbers Show Continued Reliance on China

The number of Chinese students enrolling at British universities rose by almost 15 percent last year while the number of American students has fallen by a similar level, according to recently released data.

Statistics from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service shows that 4,976 students from China will begin tertiary studies this fall at the UK’s universities and colleges. This represents a 14.7 percent increase on last year’s figure of 4,337, the highest recorded in recent years. In total, approximately 75,000 Chinese students study in Britain.

Other sending countries with sharp increases in the number of students arriving at British universities include Singapore (up 30 percent to 965), Hong Kong (up 4 percent to 2,525) and India (up 18 percent to 1,581). Enrollments from the United States are down 13 percent from 1,162 to 1,009. Overall there has been a four percent rise in the number of foreign students being accepted into Britain’s universities, up from 45,947 to 47,802.

– UCAS
September 10, 2008

Chinese Students Find Scotland and Spread the Message

New figures released by the University and College Admission Service (UCAS) in September show that the number of Chinese students at Scottish universities has soared in the last year from 314 to 544, a massive 73.2 percent increase. Total students numbers among non-EU citizens jumped 29.7 percent from 2,521 last year to 3,270 this year. Applicants from within the EU also rose substantially, by 11.3 percent, from 3,298 to 3,672.

Education officials attributed the rise to Scotland ‘s reputation for higher education and the booming Chinese economy. However, they warned that more public funding was still needed, because universities risked becoming dependent on the high fees charged to non-EU students. A spokesman for Universities Scotland, which represents university leaders, said: “In the last seven years there has been an 85 percent growth in non-EU students studying in Scotland. “Chinese students are the number one biggest group and the rate of growth of Chinese students is very noticeable.”

– The Scotsman
September 11, 2008