Regional

European Universities Perform Well in Global Ranking

According to the results of the sixth Times Higher Education ranking of world universities, based on a survey of academics and graduate employers worldwide, European universities have improved versus their American peers in the last year.

The league table of leading world universities shows a fall in the number of North American universities in the top 100 from 42 in 2008 to 36 in 2009. There are 39 European universities in the top 100, up from 36. The number of Asian universities rose from 14 to 16.

Harvard is still top, while Cambridge moves up from third to second place. Oxford slips from fourth to fifth.

Top Ten 2009
1. Harvard University
2. Cambridge University
3. Yale University
4. University College London
5. Imperial College London*
5. Oxford University*
7. University of Chicago
8. Princeton University
9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
10. California Institute of Technology
11. Columbia University
* = joint place

The University of Tokyo, at 22nd, is the highest ranked Asian university, while the University of Hong Kong moved up two places from 26th to 24th.

This year 9,386 academics (compared with 6,354 in 2008) and 3,281 employers (compared with 2,339 in 2008) responded to the surveys.

– Times Higher Education Supplement
October 8, 2009

Returns on Investment in Public Education Overwhelmingly Positive

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released the 2009 version of its annual series analyzing education indicators in countries across the world in September, finding that government investment in education during an economic downturn is “the right choice.” As national economies begin to recover from the global recession, and unemployment levels remain high, “the incentives for individuals to stay on in education are likely to rise over the next years,” the report states, in recognition of the fact that during times of economic difficulty the “opportunity costs” of remaining in higher education versus joining the workforce –where possible – are low.

The report, “Education at a Glance 2009: OECD Indicators,” looks at 2007 data on the education systems in the group’s 30 member countries, which include many European nations, as well as Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Turkey, and the United States.

On average across the OECD, the net public return on the cost of providing a university education for a male student exceeds $50,000, outweighing the costs in nearly every country.

In countries that charge relatively high tuition but also offer generous public subsidies, such as Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States, entry levels to higher education are no lower than in other countries. In fact their participation rates—84 percent in Australia, 58 percent in the Netherlands, 72 percent in New Zealand, and 64 percent in the United States—are well above the OECD average. However, completion rates are a different story. The American rate of 36.5 percent is below the OECD average of 39 percent, suggesting that tuition costs have become so expensive for the individual that they might now be considered a barrier to completing studies, and ultimately to extending participation.

In its chapter on international student mobility, the report found that there were more than three million students enrolled in institutions of higher education outside their country of citizenship in 2007, with four countries —Britain, France, Germany, and the United States—receiving nearly half.  The United States remains the destination of choice for more foreign students than any other country, with 20 percent of the global total, but that figure represents a decline from 25 percent in 2000.

“The deterioration of the United States’ market share,” the report notes, “may be attributed to the comparatively high tuition fees charged to international students in a context of fierce competition from other primarily English-speaking destinations offering similar educational opportunities at a lower cost.”

– OECD
September 8, 2009

Global Motivations Behind Internationalizing the Campus Shifting

While universities around the world are more focused than ever on internationalizing their campuses, new data from the International Association of Universities suggest their motivations have changed significantly in recent years.

The data come from a survey conducted from March to July of this year by the Paris-based organization, whose members include higher-education institutions in 150 countries, and Eva Egron-Polak, secretary general of the organization, presented the results for the first time in September at the annual conference of the European Association for International Education.

While the data are still being analyzed, an original overview of the results shows significant changes since the same data was compiled in 2005. Strengthening research capacity through international collaborations, which in 2005 ranked second in importance only to internationalizing the faculty and student body, is no longer among the top three institutional motivations cited for internationalizing. The current priorities, in order of importance, are improving student preparedness, internationalizing their curricula, and enhancing their institution’s international profile and reputation.

With regard to obstacles in internationalizing the campus, most institutions pointed to a lack of financial resources. Four years ago, financial concerns did not even figure among the top three responses in the survey. Limited faculty interest and involvement were leading internal constraints in both 2005 and 2009, as were the limited experience and expertise of staff members.

Visa issues that hinder international mobility, as well as the difficulties posed by credentials from different higher-education systems, are key external hurdles to internationalization.

– IAU
September 2009
– The Chronicle of Higher Education
September 20, 2009

Erasmus Mundus Driving Force Behind Joint and Dual Degree Programs

European university officials speaking at the annual European Association of International Education who have been involved in establishing joint- and dual-degree programs credit their growth to the European Union’s Erasmus Mundus program, started in 2004, which provides financial support to universities to set up institutional collaborations as well as partnerships with non-European universities.

Last year the program was expanded to include doctoral as well as master’s-degree programs, and its budget quadrupled. The addition of doctoral programs was intended to help retain non-European graduate students who were leaving Europe for the United States to pursue their Ph.D.’s after completing their Erasmus Mundus master’s degrees.

The Bologna Process, through which 46 European nations are harmonizing their degree systems, has also helped facilitate inter-European collaboration. One of the greatest challenges to setting up joint- and dual-degree programs, those involved say, is trying to assess and compare course work across institutions. Bologna has made that first step much easier.

– The Chronicle of Higher Education
September 20, 2009

Albania

Private University Enrollments Explode

As the new school year starts, a record number of university students will be heading to non-state institutions than ever before. According to data from the Ministry of Education, 28 percent of all university enrollments are now at private schools.

In 2008, approximately 76 percent of college students attended one of the country’s 11 public universities — the remainder enrolled in local private colleges, which have flourished in the past five years. The number of students that attend private colleges has grown from 983 in 2004 to 12,166 four years later.

Currently there are 17 private universities in the country, but only four of them are accredited by the state and are able to issue official diplomas.

– SETimes.com
September 21, 2009

Finland

Report Looks at internationalization

The Centre for International Mobility has published “Across the Borders: Internationalisation of Finnish Education.” The report follows the drafting of a new Finnish strategy for international higher education, and deals with Finnish national policy, the question of language, internationalization strategy, students’ views, and the future of international higher education in the country.

– Centre for International Mobility
September 2009

France

University Fundraising Departments Increasingly Common

Half of all French universities have created, or are in the process of creating, foundations to raise private funds, according to Valerie Pecresse, Minister for Higher Education and Research. By January 2010, 60 universities will have set up foundations in line with the U.S. university-development model, reports the Science-Business news network.

Until recently, the Ministry of Finance did not give tax breaks to donors, but the rules have been relaxed and a law on university reform, passed in July 2007, introduced a new structure for university foundations that encouraged companies to invest in them. Firms can deduct up to 60 percent of gifts from their corporate tax bills.

– Science-Business
August 27, 2009

Spain

Working to Grow International Enrollments

Spain is a popular study abroad destination for students from the United States and Latin America, mainly for linguistic reasons, yet from other countries Spain fails to attract many students. In a bid to rectify that reality, the Spanish government created a foundation last year to promote Spanish higher education abroad. The fund, or Fundación Universidad.es, was started with close to US$3 million from the ministries of education, science and innovation, and foreign affairs. It will work primarily through the country’s global network of embassies and cultural institutions to create an international marketing campaign.

The Spanish initiative can be seen as being part of a broader Europe-wide effort to attract more interest from students outside of traditional colonial and linguistic spheres of influence. In addition, they hope to build deeper partnerships with universities abroad, leading to more-sophisticated relationships that include joint degree and research projects, along with student and faculty exchanges.

In addition to the European Union’s highly successful Erasmus programs, which have laid the groundwork for globalization by funneling billions of dollars into scholarships for students who wish to study abroad, regional efforts to harmonize degree systems across Europe through the Bologna Process have also made the region more attractive to international students. Bologna’s three-cycle structure (bachelor, master, doctorate) is much more familiar to overseas students than the patchwork of systems particular to individual nations. The huge increase in English-taught degrees is also helping.

European nations are also keenly aware that because the United States remains the preferred destination for many international students, European institutions must work together to increase their international appeal. Spain has several collaborative efforts at work. In addition to the new national foundation, four of the country’s top research institutions have joined together to form an international marketing campaign. And since 1997, eight public universities in the semiautonomous region of Catalonia have worked together to promote their institutions as a coherent entity.

– The Chronicle of Higher Education
September 14, 2009

United Kingdom

Whither the International Student?

Britain instituted new visa rules this year, and many universities are reporting early indications that their international enrollments could be down by as much as 20 percent, The Guardian reported. Universities report that some find the visa system complicated and that others are getting rejected for visas — and then turning to options in Australia or the United States.

In April, the government overhauled the immigration system and introduced a points-based system for, among others, international students applying for study visas. So far, it has not been a success, according to anecdotal evidence from the field. To get a visa, international students now need to show that they can afford their tuition fees 28 days before they apply, have at least an extra £600 (US$1,000) a month and £400 ($660) for each dependant in living expenses, and to keep it all in a bank account in their own name for the first year of their study. They also need a biometric identity card and have to have received their exam results by the time they apply.

Agents who recruit international ­students for the UK’s schools and universities say these requirements are too demanding and take too long. Many more student visas are being rejected than in previous years, they say, encouraging students to give up on the UK and opt for Australia or the US for their higher education instead.

– The Guardian
September 1, 2009

University Places for International Business Contracts

The City of London Police has reportedly uncovered evidence that British firms are paying the tuition of foreign students to win international contracts. The force’s overseas anti-corruption unit has written to universities and colleges warning them to conduct due diligence into students whose fees are paid in full or part by third parties.

The unit’s head, Detective Superintendent Colin Cowan, said: “There is intelligence that people are being put through UK schools and universities, that their fees are being paid by UK businesses, and that these are bribes in return for winning overseas contracts. Rather than giving someone a suitcase full of cash, the company will offer to send the person’s son or daughter to school or university.” If a student’s fees are being paid for by a third party, the university should speak to them and ask why, the detective added.

– The Times Higher Education Supplement
September 10, 2009

New English-language Test Enters the Market

A new computer-based test of English language ability will be launched by one of Britain’s leading education testing companies on October 26. The test, Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic), measures the English language skills of non-native English speakers who are seeking admission to institutions where English is the language of instruction. PTE Academic has been endorsed by the prestigious Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®), owner of the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®), according to a press release from the British company.

PTE Academic will be delivered through the company’s global network of secure testing centers. During the launch period, the test will be available in a minimum of 20 territories including China, Taiwan, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, India and Canada, with the number of centers offering the test continuing to grow over the next year. Test takers will be able to register and schedule their test online at a date and time that suits them. Prices in the launch countries will range from $150 to $210.

– Pearson news release
September 8, 2009