Regional
Asian Students Apply to Top Business Programs in Rapidly Increasing Numbers
Economic growth in Asia is prompting students and young workers to pursue MBAs in ever increasing numbers, a trend that has drawn interest from the world’s top business schools and burnished the reputation of Asian institutions offering business programs, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Asian business schools have been working to capitalize on their newfound reputations. The Nanyang Business School [1], the Indian School of Business [2], the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology [3] and the China Europe International Business School [4] joined together last year under an umbrella called Top Asia B Schools [5], to promote their programs jointly at business school fairs.
In 2010, business schools in Asia received almost 43,000 GMAT score reports from prospective students, more than double the amount in 2006, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council [6], which administers the test used by top business schools as part of their admissions process.
Almost one out of three people who sat for the business school entrance exam last year came from Asia, up from 25 percent four years earlier. And, the share of the Asian test-takers who are women is fast approaching 50 percent. Consequently, Asian MBA programs are expanding. When Insead [7] opened its Singapore campus [8] in 2000, it had 53 MBA candidates. Today, it has about 2,000, and applications from the region have surged 71 percent in the past five years. The Indian School of Business has expanded its enrollment almost five-fold in eight years, to 560. It reportedly aspires [9] to be one of the world’s top five MBA programs.
The strength of the Asian economy has also drawn MBA candidates from outside the region. Almost 900 U.S. residents sent GMAT scores to Asian institutions last year. Asian citizens sent almost 278,000 score reports to MBA programs on other continents, including almost 188,000 to U.S. schools.
– Wall Street Journal [10]
October 7, 2011
East Asians Most Likely to Use Agents
According to a recent British Council report [11] students in East Asia are the most likely to hire an agent of any students worldwide.
The report, “Why Students Use Agents—Demand and Supply,” reveals that 48 percent of East Asian students said they had contacted or planned to contact an agent, 29 percent said they would not do so, and 23 percent were not sure. In Africa, 41 percent said they had or would use an agent. In South Asia the figure was 39 percent, and in Latin America 30 percent. Only 23 percent of European students said they had contacted or would contact an agent.
The data were based on 131,000 responses to a survey the council has conducted since 2007 at student fairs and on the Internet. What many students wanted from agents, according to the report, was information on obtaining a visa, advice on which institutions to apply to, and information and brochures from specific colleges.
– The British Council [11]
November 7, 2011
An East Asian Joint Degree Program
Leading universities from China, Japan and South Korea are planning to launch a unique joint degree program involving 27 different institutions, and designed to enhance exchanges and mutual understanding in East Asia.
Seven leading Chinese universities, 10 Japanese universities and 10 South Korean universities and colleges will participate. The seven Chinese universities include Peking University [12], Fudan University [13], Shanghai Jiao Tong University [14], Jilin University [15] and Renmin University [16]. The University of Tokyo [17], Ritsumeikan University [18], Kyushu University [19], Tohoku University [20] and Nagoya University [21] are among the 10 Japanese institutions taking part. And among the ten South Korean universities participating in the program are Seoul National University [22], Korea University [23], Sungkyunkwan University [24], POSTECH [25], Dongseo University [26] and Pusan National University [27].
Under the agreement, also known as the Campus Asia project, institutions can form partnerships with any of the foreign universities to give students who complete all requirements for partner programs a dual degree signed by the presidents of the universities where they studied, according to news reports. The program covers all degree levels.
– CRI [28]
October 31, 2011
Australia
U.S. For-Profit to Launch Campus in Adelaide
The for-profit company Laureate International Universities [29] will build a new campus in Adelaide, in South Australia, after the regional government approved its bid in October.
The new university is slated for a 2013 opening and a target of 200 students, half of them from abroad. Laureate has committed to funding of $30 million, according to a report in The Australian newspaper. By 2023 Laureate expects to enroll some 3,000 students. The university is currently called Torrens University Australia, but Laureate says it will solicit ideas for new names from residents of Southern Australia and students in its worldwide network.
Aside from Laureate, other private providers have been increasing their work in Adelaide, which seeks to establish itself as a regional hub for educational services. Although Kaplan Higher Education [30], for instance, recently decided not to build a new campus in the city, it operates a number of programs in the area and plans to expand them.
– The Australian [31]
October 17, 2011
Positive News in Graduate Visa Numbers
Applications for Australian graduate research visas hit record numbers for a September quarter, 21 percent up on the previous peak last year. And higher education visa applications had their second best September quarter, with particularly good news coming from the beleaguered Indian market.
Christopher Ziguras, associate professor of international studies at RMIT University [32], said the “serious rebound” in applications suggested the federal government’s drive to encourage higher level study may be having an impact.
According to the new Immigration Department report [33], visa application numbers from India and China were similar with total applications from India increasing by over 4,000 compared to the same period last year. The total of 14,600 applications left India just 700 shy of Australia’s biggest market, China. The third largest market, Korea, yielded just 3,000 applications. And while 80 percent of the Indian applications were lodged by people already in Australia – mainly students wanting to begin new programs – a 150 percent surge in offshore applications suggested institutions could look forward to fresh arrivals from the subcontinent. The increase follows a reported spike in visa applications to the Australian high commission in Delhi in the first half of the year.
The figures suggest higher education is benefiting from recent immigration policy changes designed to promote higher level study, and from the matriculation of pathway students progressing to degree-level programs. The ‘pathway’ route to university studies is also benefiting vocational colleges, which are experiencing record onshore visa applications. But the downward spiral has continued for language colleges and schools.
– The Australian [34]
October 28, 2011
Student Visa Crackdown Leads to Thousands of Deportations
Australia’s Immigration Department has cancelled 15,066 foreign student visas in the past year, a 37 percent spike from the previous four years, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.
About 3,624 students are facing deportation for failing or missing classes. A further 2,235 visas were cancelled on students who quit their original programs and were working illegally. The crackdown has targeted lax students who had won visas to study at the vocational level in programs such as cooking or hairdressing.
Indian students have been hit the hardest, while the biggest foreign contingent – Chinese – fare much better because they are less likely to be studying for a trade. Trade students are not only under the spotlight but a change in policy that places a preference on university students has now made entry to Australian programs harder. University graduates will have the right to work in Australia for two years after they graduate, leaving vocational training students to wait on a second round of changes, due next year, to find out where they stand.
– The Daily Telegraph [35]
October 25, 2011
First Round of Immigration Reforms Rolled Out
The first stage of a suite of measures supporting Australia’s international education sector was rolled out in November as part of the Government’s response to a series of recommendations made under the Knight Review [36].
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen, said as part of the first tranche of changes, the financial requirements for certain student visa applicants had now been reduced, meaning students will need up to A$36,000 (US$36,500) less in the bank when applying for a visa.
English language students will benefit from another change that is now in place, allowing students to apply for a visa without first meeting minimum English skills requirements.
Among the other changes implemented is the introduction of a new ‘genuine temporary entrant’ requirement for all student visa applicants. This requirement enables the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to better assess student visa applications to ensure the applicant’s main aim is a temporary stay in Australia.
Other changes that are now in place include:
- Extending the time new PhD students can stay in Australia while their thesis is being marked;
- Discontinuing a pre-visa assessment (PVA) policy to help speed up visa processing; and
- Allowing prepaid home stay fees to be included in the financial requirements assessment for a student visa.
– Ministry of Immigration and Citizenship news release [37]
November 8, 2011
China
University Expansions Subject to Strict Curbs
Local authorities in China have tightened up on debts owed by universities amid fears that big-spending institutions may default on their loans. The move could affect a number of international university collaborations where local and provincial authorities have agreed to fund major construction projects, reports University World News citing Chinese media.
Provincial and municipal governments are urging indebted universities to repay loans after the National Audit Office reported at the end of 2010 that some 1,164 colleges were burdened with around CNY263.5 billion (US$41.5 billion) as a result of profligate spending over the last decade.
Strict new policies have been introduced to curb new university expansion and other capital projects not approved and in the pipeline before 2009. In Kunshan near Shanghai, the policy has reportedly led to cutbacks on new buildings for the planned US Duke [38] University campus, including a Global Health Institute offering special masters-level courses in China from 2012. The project was to be financed from Kunshan city coffers.
– University World News [39]
October 18, 2011
China and Britain Agree to Work on Expanding Education Ties
China and Britain have agreed to work together to build closer educational ties over the next three years, focusing specifically on higher education, vocational education, basic education, and language instruction.
The enhanced collaboration will include more partnerships between universities in the two countries and efforts to encourage more British students to study in China. Britain also plans to pilot an apprenticeship program in China for skilled workers in training beginning next year. The announcement, at a one-day summit meeting between education leaders from the two countries that followed up on a new framework agreement on education that was signed last year, coincided with the culmination of a weeklong visit [40] to Britain by leaders of 20 Chinese universities.
– Department for Business, Innovation and Skills news release [41]
October 27, 2011
Hong Kong
Doors Open to International Students
Hong Kong has some of the best universities on the Asian continent, making it an attractive destination for international students. And Hong Kong has its doors wide open to welcome them. The Hong Kong government has invested HK$1 billion (US$128 million) in a bursary fund, with the interest to be used to fund scholarships for international students.
Institutions like the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology [3], Lingnan University, [42] Hong Kong University [43] and the Chinese University of Hong Kong [44] (CUHK) compete at a world-class level. CUHK currently has around 3,800 international undergraduate and graduate students from over 40 countries, and operates an exchange program with over 200 universities around the world.
An agreement with Mainland China guarantees the compatibility of Hong Kong and Chinese study programs. This means that from 2012 all Hong Kong universities are moving from a three-year to a four-year undergraduate degree. Strong academic links mean some universities allow foreign students to study for a year or two in Beijing or Shanghai through partnerships with Chinese universities.
– The Independent [45]
October 26, 2011
India
Intense Competition at Indian Universities Forces Students Abroad
The New York Times cited recently the example of Moulshri Mohan, a top Indian student who received scholarship offers of $20,000 from Dartmouth [46] and $15,000 from Smith [47] in addition to acceptance letters from Cornell [48], Bryn Mawr [49], Duke [38], Wesleyan [50], Barnard [51] and the University of Virginia [52]. But because of her 93.5 percent cumulative score on her final high school examinations, which are the sole criteria for admission to most colleges in India, she was rejected by the top colleges at Delhi University [53], her family’s first choice and one of India’s top schools.
Ms. Mohan, 18, is now one of a surging number of Indian students attending American colleges and universities, as competition in India has grown formidable, even for the best students. With about half of India’s 1.2 billion people under the age of 25, and with the ranks of the middle class swelling, the country’s handful of highly selective universities are overwhelmed. This summer, Delhi University issued cut-off scores at its top colleges that reached a near-impossible 100 percent in some cases. The Indian Institutes of Technology [54], which are spread across the country, have an acceptance rate of less than 2 percent — and that is only from a pool of roughly 500,000 who qualify to take the entrance exam.
“The problem is clear,” said Kapil Sibal, the government minister overseeing education in India, who studied law at Harvard [55]. “There is a demand and supply issue. You don’t have enough quality institutions, and there are enough quality young people who want to go to only quality institutions.”
– The New York Times [56]
October 14, 2011
International Enrollments in India Remain Lackluster
Every year, close to 150,000 Indian students are in pursuit of foreign degrees. The counter-flow, by contrast, is minimal, with the intake of students from abroad to India continuing to plateau at very low levels.
According to the ministry in charge of higher education, international enrollments in India grew just 500 in the 2008-09 year to a modest 21,778. A study by Beena Shah and Usha Rai Negi from the Association of Indian Universities [57] (AIU) shows that those students who do study in India are mostly in the south of the country with five of the top ten most popular universities hosting foreign students in southern states.
The AIU data show that most foreign students signed up for distance education programs at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi National Open University [58] (IGNOU). Pune is the singlemost popular study destination thanks to the popularity of the University of Pune [59] and Symbiosis University [60]. Other popular universities are Mysore University [61] with close to 1,500 international students, mainly from Asia, Africa and Iran; and Manipal University [62], which enrolls half of its international student body from Malaysia thanks to the country’s official recognition of the Manipal health sciences program.
Overall, the top five sources of international students in India are: Iran (2,972), Ethiopia (1,937), UAE (1,726), Nepal (1,711) and Afghanistan (1,192), followed by Saudi Arabia (1,043) and China (873).
– The Times of India [63]
October 27, 2011
Scottish University Sets Up Campus
In a move aimed at increasing bilateral education cooperation, Scotland’s Education Minister Michael Russell inaugurated the first India-based campus of a Scottish university in Noida on the outskirts of Delhi in November.
“The Scottish university campus in India will help cement our hard-won reputation and it will strengthen the links between Scottish and Indian higher education institutions,” Russell said. He also said there is a growing demand for high quality higher education in India.
SKIL, an infrastructure development company that has recently expanded into the education sector, has collaborated with the University of Strathclyde Business School [64] in a joint initiative that will initially deliver an undergraduate bachelor in business studies and a masters in management.
– Economic Times [65]
November 9, 2011
‘Meta University’ to be Created
India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, in November announced plans to create what is being described as a “meta university.” The institution would essentially be a structure through which students could simultaneously enroll in programs at multiple institutions.
“This would enable a student of astrophysics in the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, for example, to take up a course in comparative literature at the Jadavpur University. Such creative reconfigurations are expected to create ‘new minds’ conducive to the growth of innovation,” said Singh, in a speech [66] at India’s National Innovation Council.
The proposed university is set for roll out in academic year 2012-13, and will utilize the National Knowledge Network, which connects federal and state universities through a high speed (multi gigabit) broadband network.
– Hindustan Times [67]
November 15, 2011
Indonesia
Indonesian Education Officials Meet with U.S. Counterparts to Boost Bilateral Ties
The inaugural U.S.-Indonesia Higher Education Summit [68] was held at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. at the end of October. The Summit was jointly hosted by the Government of the United States and the Government of Indonesia, and attended by more than 100 higher education leaders and government officials from the U.S. and Indonesia, as well as non-profit and private sector leaders.
The objective of the Summit was to strengthen higher education collaboration and exchange between institutions in the United States and Indonesia through the exploration of four main topics of mutual interest: higher education governance; innovation, research collaboration, and academic exchange; the community college model; and teacher preparation. The Summit highlighted the goals of the Higher Education Partnership, announced by Presidents Obama and Yudhoyono in 2010, which aims to increase the number of students and scholars studying and researching in both countries, and to strengthen educational equality through increased collaboration and partnership.
Last year, the Obama administration allocated $165 million over five years to support student and faculty exchanges and university connections. For its part, Indonesia wants to develop better ties with American colleges as a way to expand its economy and reform its university system. The country has significantly increased its support for education, requiring that at least 20 percent of the federal budget be allocated in that area, and raised the number of students attending its 3,777 higher-education institutions, from 3.8 million in 2005 to 5.2 million last year.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan applauded efforts by American institutions to build links with their Indonesian peers, like a new Cornell University partnership with the island nation to study the effects of climate change. But he emphasized that more needs to be done. For example, he said, the lack of student mobility between the countries “is quite frankly troubling.” About 6,950 Indonesian students attended American institutions during the 2010-11 academic year. That is about half of what it was in 1997-98, according to the Institute of International Education [69]. The number of students from the United States studying in Indonesia is less than 200 annually.
To help pave the way for mobility, the U.S. Department of State has increased the amount of money available under its Fulbright program for Indonesia-U.S. exchanges as part of the Obama administration’s effort. For example, the department is spending $15 million over five years for a new program focused on science and technology research. So far, 37 students and scholars from both nations have received awards.
– U.S. Dept of State [70]
October 28, 2011
– Chronicle of Higher Education [71]
October 31, 2011
Japan
English-Language Proficiency Reflects Rapidly Declining Study Abroad Numbers Among Japanese Students
Japanese children learn English starting in elementary school and throughout high school, and many go on to study it at college; however, Japan ranks lower than North Korea, Mongolia, and Myanmar on the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
The problem has been compounded in recent years by a sharp drop in the number of Japanese studying abroad, a trend that has rung alarm bells at the highest levels of government. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently joined a growing list of officials expressing concern that Japanese university students are increasingly staying at home.
“As recently as 1997, Japan sent more students than any other country in the world to study in America,” Secretary Clinton told the U.S.-Japan Council in Washington last month. Today “Japan ranks sixth.” She pointed out that the number of Japanese students studying in America has dropped by almost 50 percent over the last 14 years.
While cost is certainly a factor, experts in Japan have also noted structural barriers at home, including the lack of credit reciprocity, the traditionally low value attached by Japanese employers to foreign degrees, and the reluctance of most Japanese universities to waive fees for students who decide to study outside the country. The declining college-age population should also be factored in as well.
In a striking acknowledgment that the decline in foreign study must be halted, Japan’s largest business federation, the Nippon Keidanren used a recent forum to announce a scholarship plan that will, from next year, give 1 million yen, or $12,835, each to 30 students from the 13 universities now designated Global 30 institutions.
– The Chronicle of Higher Education [72]
November 1, 2011
South Korea
Government Closes 2 Universities
South Korean officials announced in November that the government is shutting down two universities — Myungshin University and Sungwha College — that were found to have violated the law through “serious corruption and irregularities,” including embezzlement and creating fake documents. The government has said it will help students currently enrolled at the two institutions transfer elsewhere.
– The Korea Herald [73]
November 8, 2011
Vietnam
U.S. Government Builds Student Recruitment Center in Ho Chi Minh
Five organizations in October were selected to receive more than $1.9 million for projects that increase U.S. exports, create jobs and strengthen the U.S. global competitive edge. One of the organizations, CA ETEC [74], was selected specifically to encourage U.S.-based education and training providers to expand their international student recruitment activity and delivery of education programs in Southeast Asia.
The awards are given under the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP). CA ETEC will be launching a U.S. Education and Training Center in Ho Chi Minh City to provide a dedicated support resource for U.S. institutions and training providers seeking to expand promotion and recruitment efforts in Vietnam. According to the 2011 Open Doors Report of International Student Exchange, Vietnam has been the fastest-growing host market for international students to the U.S. since 2007 and Southeast Asia is poised to be among the most significant regions for future student recruitment growth in the coming years.
California ETEC plans to open the U.S. Education and Training Center in Ho Chi Minh City in early spring 2012. The Center will be staffed by bi-lingual English-Vietnamese speakers and offer student advising and training services for qualified Vietnamese students and ongoing assistance and marketing support for colleges and universities seeking to start or expand student recruitment efforts in the region.
– California ETEC press release [75]
October 14, 2011