Regional
EU Looking to Improve Employment Opportunities for Foreign Graduates
The European Commission wants to expedite the visa process for foreign students and allow them to work in the European Union despite record unemployment and a poor economic outlook, arguing Europe has many skilled jobs that go unfilled.
The Commission proposed in March a 60-day time limit for EU countries to decide whether foreign students are eligible for an EU visa to end the current system that varies across countries and that European bureaucrats say is complex and unclear. Under the proposal, foreign students would also be allowed to remain in the European Union for up to one year after their studies end to try and find a job, rather than being required to have a work visa or leave. Despite unemployment of 26 million people, many EU countries struggle to fill skilled positions, in areas including hospitals and computer programming.
The Commission will now present its plans to EU governments and hopes the new rules could take effect in 2016.
– Reuters [1]
March 25, 2013
Report: Global University Rankings on the Rise
A growing number of organizations and media outlets are getting into the business of ranking the world’s best universities, employing different and new methodologies but using much the same data, according to a new report published in April.
The report, [2] “Global University Rankings and Their Impact II,” published in April by the European University Association, builds on its 2011 report [3] also looking at trends in the business of ranking universities. The new report finds that rankings are becoming increasingly influential and in many cases shaping institutional and public policy, despite increased criticism. Most of the rankings focus on elite universities, thanks in large part to a reliance on publication and citation data, and this is one of the main points of concern for the authors of the report
The report found that the number of rankings has grown to include not just institutional rankings, but also a new one from Universitas 21 that rates 48 national higher-education systems [4]. In addition, two of the biggest rankers have come up with new tables that look at the world’s best universities in existence for less than 50 years.
Other negatives of existing rankings according the report include a neglect of the arts, humanities, and social sciences; and a heavy bias towards research over teaching. The report outlines some measure taken to counter these trends, including the introduction of rankings that can be manipulated by individuals to select the criteria they value.
– EUA [5]
April18, 2013
Report Studies the Immigration Strategies for International Students Among EU Nations
A new report from the European Commission examining the internationalization strategies of European countries and universities shows, among many other things, that there is a “great interest” in building ties with emerging economies through education exports, and that 75 percent of international programs in The Netherlands are now taught in English.
The study [6] on Immigration of International Students to the EU, published by the European Migration Network, provides an analytical overview and statistics on the immigration and mobility policies of states. It looks at countries’ strategies and policies to promote Europe as an attractive destination for international students – and to prevent misuse of the student route to migration. It found that the EU has a wide range of initiatives including policy discussions, bilateral agreements, and programs to support mobility and scholarships – particularly to establish international networks among universities and alumni. In recent years, EU countries have also developed national strategies and policies
to lure and retain international students.
The study drew on contributions from 24 countries and statistics from Eurostat up to and including 2012. Several states – Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain – have set targets relating to the number of international students. Only Hungary and Latvia have no national policy on international students. In Latvia, it is up to institutions to decide on the need to and options for attracting students and to develop a strategy.
Over most countries, the report found significant interest in attracting students from emerging economies in an attempt to strengthen economic ties with these nations. In most cases, promotional efforts are left to universities, which often present themselves individually at education exhibitions rather than collectively. Many more in-depth findings related to language of instruction; national promotional efforts; misuse; visa, family and employment policies are available by reading the full report.
– University World News [7]
April 5, 2013
Azerbaijan
Government Closes Pro-Democracy University
The government of Azerbaijan has suspended the operations of a university set up to promote democratic values. Representatives from Azad Fikir University [8] (Free Thought University) told RFE/RL that officials from the Prosecutor-General’s Office showed up unexpectedly on April 10 and sealed its offices in the capital Baku without giving any explanation.
The prosecutor-general’s spokesman told the BBC that the reasons behind the closure will be clarified following a preliminary investigation. The AFU project was launched in 2009 by the OL! (BE!) youth movement. Its stated mission is to educate Azerbaijanis about democratic values through interactive lectures and roundtable discussions.
The institution has been supported by the U.S. and British embassies in Baku, USAID, and other international organizations.
–RFE/RL [9]
April 11, 2013
France
Government Introduces Reforms Aimed at Luring in Talent
The French government has introduced a series of reforms aimed at making its universities more attractive to foreigners, with a new emphasis on drawing in the brightest students from developing countries. According to government ministers, the reforms are meant to improve the experience of foreign students in France and open possibilities for them in the job market.
New two- to three-year student visas (to replace current requirements to renew each year), new centers dedicated to easing paperwork for international students, and the loosening of labor laws to permit an easier transition from graduation to the French workplace are all part of the plans. Other measures include French-language lessons for students from non-French speaking countries and a rapid build-up of affordable student housing in Paris.
The new package of laws had been scheduled for debate in France’s National Assembly as early as May 13.
– France 24 [10]
April 17, 2013
Germany
Germany’s New Credential Recognition Act Attracts Skilled Workers
As many as 30,000 applications for the recognition of foreign vocational qualifications were submitted to the German Ministry of Education and Research in 2012, the first year of activity under the country’s new Recognition Act. According to media reports, the majority of applicants have received positive responses.
On April 1, 2012, the Recognition Act introduced a simple and straightforward way for foreign workers to have their vocational qualifications assessed. If their qualifications match German standards, they are given equivalency and the applicant is able to work in Germany. Most applicants are in regulated professions, such as medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry. Without state recognition of their qualifications, such professionals are unable to practice in Germany. It is estimated that between April and December 2012, 20,000 applications were submitted by healthcare professionals.
Applicants can initiate the evaluation process through the website “Recognition in Germany [11]”, which has reportedly received more than 360,000 visitors since its launch in April of last year. From the total notifications sent out, 66 percent of cases were granted full and 30 percent partial recognition for their overseas qualifications. Until now, only four percent of applications have been declined.
– Germany.info [12]
April 14, 2013
States Do Away With Tuition Fees
A federal court ruling in 2005 allowed states to introduce tuition fees, and seven of the 16 states chose to do so. Fast forward eight years and the last two states still charging fees have announced that they will soon scrap them. Bavaria and Lower Saxony, are expected to abolish them in the coming months, reports Inside Higher Ed, making Germany one of the few remaining nations bucking a global trend toward the introduction and increase of tuition fees.
Even though the tuition fees introduced in states across the country were by most comparisons modest — €1,000, or about $1,300, per year – the mere imposition of them (and prospect of inflation) in a country with a tradition of “free” public higher education has proven politically divisive. In academia, the German Rectors’ Conference, the association of universities, supports modest tuition fees, while the student and faculty unions stand opposed.
Some believe that the likely introduction of new fiscal constraints in Germany will likely reignite the debate over tuition fees, as university budgets are cut, but for now students across Germany will continue to benefit from a history of generous government spending on higher education. They rejoin nine other countries that according to a 2012 European Commission study [13] do not typically charge any tuition fees for students from within the EU – Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Malta, Norway, Scotland and Sweden.
– Inside Higher Ed [14]
April 24, 2013
Greece
U. of Indianapolis to Close Greece Campus
The University of Indianapolis announced in April that it plans to close its campus in Athens this year because economic conditions in Greece had made it difficult to uphold “the high standards of the university and the expectations of our accrediting agency.”
Students will no longer be admitted to all but one degree program, and classes will end at the end of August. The university will continue to offer an M.B.A. degree to students from Saudi Arabia, and potentially others, on a contract basis. Current students at the Indianapolis Athens College [15] who have not completed their degree programs have several options, [16] including transferring to the Indianapolis campus, transferring to another institution, or finishing their degree online.
– University of Indianapolis [17]
April 2013
Poland
Seeking Foreign Students
Poland has more traditionally been viewed among other countries in Europe, especially in the west, as a source of students and well-trained workers; however, Britain’s The Guardian newspaper is reporting that it is now trying to rebrand itself [18] as Europe’s new education destination.
Currently, foreign students account for just 1.4 percent of those attending Polish universities, with most of these students coming from Ukraine, Belarus and Norway. However, the number of British students enrolling at Polish universities is growing, but it remains small. In 2006-07 only 72 UK students studied there, a figure that stood at 164 in 2010-11.
Many institutions, such as Lazarski University, are making new efforts to cater to foreign students by offering degrees in English at both undergraduate and graduate level. The country’s highly affordable programs are a major attraction for young people abroad. An entire degree at a Polish university could cost as little as US$4,800, while living costs are significantly cheaper than in many other European countries.
– The Guardian [19]
April 2, 2013
Switzerland
Swiss Universities Gain in Popularity Among International Students, but Debate Cost
Attracted by the quality of institutions and low tuition rates, international students are increasingly choosing Switzerland as a study destination. In 1990, foreign enrollments made up 23 percent of the Swiss student body. Today that figure is 38 percent. This influx has been cause for debate in recent years with the entry of talent welcomed by business and academia, but with question marks as to who should be footing the tuition bill remaining among the public and policymakers.
Switzerland prides itself on having some of the lowest tuition fees in the world, subsidized by the federal and cantonal authorities. This gives students access to higher education regardless of income, but taxpayers are also paying for foreign students while universities are reaching capacity.
In March, rightwing People’s Party parliamentarian Peter Keller introduced a parliamentary initiative demanding that the two federal institutes of technology in Zurich and Lausanne charge foreigners twice as much for tuition as domestic students, arguing that while foreign students are welcome, they should be responsible for financing their own studies. The initiative – and student anger – forced the federal institutes to postpone plans to double tuition fees for all students, irrespective of nationality.
– Swiss Broadcasting Corporation [20]
April 7, 2013
Turkey
U.S. Universities Continue to Resonate With Turkish Students
Turkey is, and has been for some time, the number one European sender of students to U.S. universities, according to IIE Open Doors [21] data cited in a recent New York Times article. Though Britain sent more than 9,000 students to the United States last year — more than ever before — and Germany sent about 9,300, both lagged behind Turkey, which has been sending more than 10,000 students a year to the United States since 2000. And Turkey has long been the only European country to figure regularly in the top 10 sending nations, behind mainstays like China, India, Canada and Mexico. In 2012, Turkey sent nearly 12,000 students to the United States.
At one time, France and Germany were popular destinations for Turkish students, but the increasing popularity of English as a second language helps pull students to the United States. Britain’s appeal as an alternative has been diminished by recent changes to student visa rules.
Push and pull factors cited for the movement of Turks to U.S. universities include a 1970s to early 1990s baby boom, which is still just reaching the age to go to college, in combination with a domestic system that while expanding rapidly is still failing to meet demand, especially in high demand fields such as medicine and engineering. Another factor is that leading private educational institutions in Turkey were modeled after American universities, so when students think of studying abroad, the U.S. education system is a familiar option.
At the undergraduate level, students seeking a U.S. higher education typically are either very talented and have taken Advanced Placement courses in high school or have followed the International Baccalaureate, or they come from a handful of Turkish private schools that offer English instruction in many subjects. Such schools are increasingly popular among wealthy families in Istanbul and Ankara. A much larger group, though, have not done well in national entrance examinations and work through agencies to find a place at a good U.S. school, often choosing to first attend community colleges and then transfer.
Nearly 30 percent of Turkish students in the United States are undergraduates; 52 percent are graduate students. The rest are either classed as “other” or are pursuing Optional Practical Training. Graduate training is very popular among Turks and legions of faculty members in Turkish higher education have advanced degrees from U.S. universities.
– The New York Times [22]
April 8, 2013
United Kingdom
Biggest University in Wales Launches
The University of South Wales [23] has been created by the merger of Glamorgan and Newport universities, enrolling a total of 33,500 students from more than 120 countries and making it the sixth largest university in the UK.
University heads say they hope its size will benefit students and let it invest in new programs and facilities. Currently, the university’s four campuses offer more than 580 undergraduate programs. It is hoped its size will allow it to invest in new programs and facilities while also developing a global profile.
Its creation comes after a drive led by the Welsh government to rearrange higher education in Wales and provide fewer universities.
– The BBC [24]
April 11, 2013
London Met Regains License to Enroll Foreign Students
The UK’s Home Office announced in April that it has granted a new Highly Trusted Sponsor license to London Metropolitan University [25] to recruit non-EU international students on Tier 4 visas. The university, which is well respected in the UK, lost its license in August 2012 to much publicity and accusations of over exuberance on the part of the British immigration authorities, after investigations discovered some students without valid visas and unsatisfactory attendance records.
The university has been granted a probationary yearlong license, which will be extended if current performance levels are maintained. With immediate effect, non-EU students can enter the university, and all existing students will be allowed to complete their studies. In a statement, the Home Office confirmed that the university “has made the necessary improvements to its systems and administration and now meets the requirements to sponsor students from outside the European Economic Area.”
Nearly 5,000 international students have already entered applications to study with London Metropolitan University for September 2013 and the University will now embark on a four-month promotional tour across 17 countries.
– The Independent [26]
April 9, 2013