Regional
U-Multirank Surpasses Goal of 500 Participating Institutions
The new, European Commission-supported international university ranking U-Multirank [1] announced in July that over 600 higher education institutions from 60 countries had registered to participate, exceeding its goal of 500. Registration was open until July 12.
U-Multirank, which was launched in Ireland in January, is being funded with €2 million (US$2.6 million) for two years by the European Commission from the Lifelong Learning Programme. There is the possibility of another two years’ funding from 2015-16.
The latest phase of recruitment and data collection follows a feasibility study conducted in 2011, based on work with 150 institutions from Europe and around the world, which concluded that the concept and implementation of a multi-dimensional ranking were realistic.
U-Multirank says that it is different from existing rankings because it is multi-dimensional and will rate universities according to a broad range of indicators in five areas: research, teaching and learning, international orientation, knowledge transfer and regional engagement. The first listing will focus on institutional and field-based rankings, including mechanical and electrical engineering, business and physics.
– University World News [2]
June 8, 2013
Europe Sees Dramatic Increase in MBA Applications
European graduate management programs received more than 90,000 Graduate Management Admission Test score reports from applicants during the 2012 testing year, marking both an all-time high and a 45 percent increase compared with 2008, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council, which administers the standardized test. More striking, the number of GMAT scores received by German institutions grew more than 330 percent to reach nearly 6,000 during that same time period.
While the admission council’s numbers do not necessarily show how many students applied, gained admission or graduated from MBA programs, they do show that more applicants took the first step to get into European schools.
Germany, which did not even rank in the top 10 choices for West Europeans seeking graduate business degrees in 2004, is now the fifth most popular destination among Europeans and the 10th most popular among global GMAT test takers.
Germany’s programs have become more prominent as the country’s university system recently switched from an old diploma system to one with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, to fit in better with the rest of Europe. In its 2012 rankings for full-time MBA’s, The Economist listed two German schools in its top 100 ranking, while there were none in 2005.
– The New York Times [3]
May 27, 2013
Erasmus Program Plagued by Mismanagement and Diminishing Participation
One of the world’s most successful student exchange programs found itself under fire at a recent conference on international curricula in Brussels. Erasmus, which is responsible for placing some 230,000 students abroad each year, was said to be reaching its limits and the supply of applicants has stopped growing.
Presenting a paper on “International Curricula and Student Mobility” for the League of European Research Universities, LERU, Professor Bart De Moor – vice-rector for international policy at Belgian’s Katholieke Universiteit Leuven – said that although Erasmus was much envied in the United States and China, it was blighted by huge administrative costs and a lack of personnel to assure proper management.
The De Moor paper found that while the participation of students in mobility schemes is rising, it is too low overall and for several reasons: financial, in the first place; a lack of awareness of the program; recognition issues regarding diplomas and credits; and the risk of delays to studies given the economic crisis spanning the continent. He also pointed to lax program admission standards, shortage of funds and the lack of a centralized, coherent student mobility policy.
To combat the problems plaguing the program, De Moor suggests limiting the number of institutional partnerships, increasing funding, remove existing barriers to degree recognition and reducing administrative paperwork.
–University World News [4]
June 15, 2013
Austria
International Students Boost Doctoral Enrollments
Some 20,000 students were undertaking doctoral research in Austria in 2000, a year when 1,790 PhDs were awarded. By 2011-12, the number enrolled for PhDs had increased to 25,700 and the proportion of foreign students had jumped from 16 percent to 26 percent, or 6,700.
The total number of foreign students enrolled in Austrian universities and university colleges in 2011 was 65,000 and they represented the fourth highest percentage in the OECD after Luxembourg, Australia and the UK, and the OECD average of 8 percent.
Given linguistic ties and geographic proximity, it is no surprise that Germans make up the largest number of international doctoral candidates. Among the German doctoral students, 29 percent said that they would stay in Austria, 15 percent said they would go back to Germany and 6 percent said they would go to another country, while the rest were undecided. This is according to the results of a survey [5] conducted by the Institute of Advanced Studies last November, which also found that 59 percent of foreign students intended to stay on after graduating.
Austria is also looking beyond its neighbors. In July 2011, Austria introduced a criteria-based immigration system – a Red-White-Red Card – applying to skilled workers from non-EU countries who are urgently needed for 24 occupations where shortages exist. Non-EU graduates of Austrian universities are a target group.
– University World News [6]
June 2, 2013
Denmark
Initiatives to Increase Number of Danes Studying Abroad
The Danish government has introduced a new initiative aimed at boosting the number of Danes studying abroad. Under the plan, titled Increased Insight through a Greater Global View, the Ministry of Higher Education is introducing 31 measures it hopes will increase from 17 percent to at least 50 percent the proportion of Danish students taking a study period or work-practice abroad.
The first part of the strategy, released in June, is focused on increasing overseas study numbers, strengthening the international dimensions of Danish higher education institutions, and improving foreign language acquisition. One means would be through increased collaboration in joint or double degrees, where the number of such collaborative projects involving a Danish partner institution would increase by at least 20 percent.
Among other initiatives proposed is a loan scheme through which each student going abroad could borrow an extra DKK100,000 (US$17,000) to cover tuition fees abroad.
The plan proposed that curricula have a “mobility window” for a study period abroad, and also proposed the introduction of new legislation for more flexible recognition. It said it was vital that students not lose time-to-degree because of studying away from home, so integration of study-abroad periods should be mandatory. It should also be possible for at least 15 percent of the degree requirements to be taken abroad, and universities should implement such curricular options through collaborative arrangements with institutions overseas. Danish exchange students going abroad should also be able to transfer credits from there and have these count towards their degree ratings. Currently, according to the report, courses taken abroad normally received only an approval stamp, which was not weighted towards degree marks.
– University World News [7]
June 22, 2013
Ireland
Higher Education Reforms Receive Wide Level of Support
A substantial reform of Ireland’s higher-education sector will see the creation of three technological universities, four regional clusters and the rationalization of teacher training and art education, the Minister for Education and Skills has said.
Proposals to accomplish this were published by Ruairí Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills, in May and will bring about a major consolidation of the institute of technology sector and foster greater coherence between the education system and national priorities, particularly those in the economic and enterprise areas.
There was a wide level of support for the proposals, particularly from the institutes of technology. The reform document represented a “milestone in the move to transform our higher-education system,” said Denis Cummins, chairman of representative body Institutes of Technology Ireland. He welcomed the fact the plan had rejected a “one size fits all” approach to institute collaboration. The business representative body Ibec also welcomed the plan, but warned that its success would be judged by its contribution to growth and employment. Funding also remained a “critical challenge,” said Ibec’s head of education policy, Tony Donoghue.
– The Irish Times [8]
May 31, 2013
Switzerland
Number of International Doctoral Students on the Rise
During the past 20 years the number of doctoral students in Swiss universities has almost doubled, from 11,588 in 1992 to 22,716 last year. An important factor in this spectacular growth has been the attraction of a steadily growing cohort of foreign PhD students.
Indeed, while they comprised about a fourth of all doctoral candidates in 1992, for the past two years international PhD students have been in the majority. Data from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office indicate that foreigners comprised nearly 52% of all PhD students in 2012.
According to several studies comparing national academic markets, the academic staff of Switzerland’s 12 PhD-awarding higher education institutions are the most strongly internationalized. So the high proportion of foreign doctoral students is not surprising.
Among others reasons, Swiss higher education’s attractiveness seems to be due to generally high quality of teaching and research. In addition, its multilingualism helps to attract students and staff from neighboring countries such as Germany, France and Italy.
– University World News [9]
June 1, 2013
Ukraine
Ukraine Sees Increase in International Student Enrollment
There are over 61,000 international students attending Ukrainian universities this year, a 10 percent increase versus last year, according to a conference presentation by Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk in May.
“Over 61,000 foreign students from 152 countries are now studying in Ukraine. This fact confirms that our country is actively developing higher education,” Tabachnyk said, adding that over a half of foreign students are from Asian and the ex-Soviet states.
The growth in international students going to Ukraine for higher education has contributed some 537.5 million dollars to the Ukrainian economy in 2012. Universities in the eastern city of Kharkov, where over 20,000 foreigners have been enrolled this year, are the biggest destination for international students in the East European country. Nearly 35,000 Ukrainian students are studying abroad, mainly in Russia, the United States and Poland.
– Xinua News
May 14, 2013
United Kingdom
Universities Struggle with Recruitment, Potential Financial Challenges
UK universities face years of financial challenge following changes to funding, to the recruitment of overseas students and higher fees, a report from Universities UK warns. The study says that in 2012, the first year of significant tuition fee hikes, England’s universities recruited around 28,000 fewer students than expected.
The drop in student numbers, which was about 9 percent lower than anticipated, came amid a decline in the number of 18-year-olds, changes in the numbers of students deferring degree places and fears by universities that they would face financial penalties for under or over-recruiting students, the report says.
The research in the report, The Funding Environment for Universities [10], also found a fall in the number of graduate students and “significant” reductions in 2012-13 in the numbers of new entrants to UK universities from countries such as India, Pakistan and Nigeria.
This trend is set against a backdrop of tighter rules on student immigration, which affect student entry requirements, their entitlements during their studies and their options after they graduate. The UUK says the failure for student numbers to grow at the same rate as in 2010-11 means that the UK has already missed out on millions of pounds.
– The BBC [11]
June 4, 2013
Newer Universities Top Green Rankings
New universities are greener than their longer established counterparts, according to the UK’s only comprehensive and independent ranking of universities by ethical and environmental criteria, People & Planet Green League, published in June.
Manchester Metropolitan jumped nine places to take the top spot in 2013, with the highest score ever achieved: 59.5 out of 70. The university failed the first Green League assessment in 2007. Oxford University was one of the 12 universities awarded a fail.
Louise Hazan, who compiled the People & Planet Green League [12], said that after 10 years of campaigning by the organization, the higher education sector had made excellent progress in areas ranging from carbon reduction to ethical procurement.
“For the first time ever, 100 percent of universities assessed now have an environmental policy. However, we’re seeing excruciatingly slow progress from too many universities in some criteria such as ethical investment given the urgency of the climate challenge. We’d encourage those who have failed this year’s Green League ‘exam’ to take a leaf out of MMU’s book.”
People & Planet says the results also show UK universities are doing more to improve graduate prospects by preparing them for the future low-carbon economy and increasing the focus on sustainability in the curriculum: 47 percent of universities gained full points for integrating sustainability into the curriculum, compared to 27 percent just two years ago.
– University World News [13]
June 28, 2013
Socioeconomic Inequality in Scottish Admissions Despite Tuition-Free Education
Ending tuition fees for Scottish students has failed to widen access to the country’s universities, a leading academic has warned. Professor Sheila Riddell, of Edinburgh University’s School of Education, said free tuition had not “markedly altered” recruitment of those from the poorest backgrounds.
She said: “While the Scottish Government and universities have worked to promote fair access, much more needs to be done. Free undergraduate tuition may in future contribute to the creation of a fairer society but to date has not markedly altered the pattern of recruitment to Scottish universities.
“Further measures are needed, including much greater efforts to reduce social inequalities in school attainment and to support students once they are enrolled in higher education.”
All of Scotland’s universities now “contextualize admissions”, meaning they take into account a candidate’s school and background, rather than purely focusing on exam results. Universities are also required to widen access or face fines from the Scottish Funding Council, under agreements introduced last year.
However, Prof Riddell said the current system continued to favor the “most advantaged”, leaving a need to “re-examine the causes and consequences of social inequality”.
– The Scotsman [14]
May 30, 2012