Regional

UK Tightens Visa Entry Standards for Indians, While France Loosens Them

Just a week after reports in July that the UK government was considering imposing cash bonds on Indian students entering the country, France announced a series of measures, including easing certain visa rules, to attract Indian students to its higher education institutions.

Special attention will now be given to students living far from any French consulate or office of Campus France in an attempt to simplify and expedite visa procedures. France has also decided to considerably ease conditions for obtaining a work visa after studies completed in France. In addition, visa applications by Indian academics and officials will be fast tracked, François Richier, France’s ambassador to India, said in June. He described the new measures as a “package.” France is making efforts to raise the number of Indian students in France by 50 percent in the coming five years.

France’s announcement is in direct contrast to the UK’s new visa rules, which aim to curb immigration from countries in Africa and Asia including India and Pakistan, but which will also affect foreign students wanting to enter the UK for studies. Under new UK rules announced in June, some individuals will have to furnish a ‘bond’ or deposit of £3,000 (US$4,500), which they would have to forfeit if they overstayed in Britain. Students are included in the measure although the ‘bond’ is not aimed specifically at them. Other proposals made in recent months include charging international students a fee to use Britain’s National Health Service, which has been free to international students until now.

In Britain, changes to the post-study work visa that came into effect from April last year removed the option for most foreign students of staying on and working for two years after their studies. Under new rules, students can stay for three years post-study only if they find “graduate-level jobs” on salaries of £20,000 or higher.

Almost 2,600 Indian students were enrolled in French institutions of higher education in 2012, an increase of 50 percent over the past five years. The vast majority of these students attend the more than 700 programs taught in English in France, the number of which is increasing every year. By contrast, tightened British visa regulations have resulted in a drop of 23.5 percent in the number of Indian students going to the UK versus last year. Figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency last January showed that fewer than 30,000 students from India were studying in UK higher education institutions in 2011-12, compared to around 40,000 the previous year.

– University World News
July 5, 2013

EU Plans to Double Scope of Academic Mobility Program

A proposed expansion of the Erasmus mobility program, which funds student mobility across Europe, is in motion. The Irish Presidency of the European Union announced in June that it had negotiated a 16 billion euro (US$20.8 billion) deal for Erasmus funding, which for the first time would support international initiatives in education, training, youth and sport under a single umbrella. To highlight the new funding areas falling under the purview of the mobility program, it has been renamed ‘Erasmus+’

Under the agreement, more than 4 million people would receive EU grants for education and training opportunities from 2014 to 2020, nearly doubling current numbers. The agreement is pending approval by the European Parliament, expected in October.

– EU Presidency News Release
June 26, 2013

Commission Releases Internationalization Strategy; Shifts Focus from Inbound Mobility

The European Commission has launched a new strategy for the internationalization of higher education. It promises stronger policy support and financial incentives, and calls on countries to use immigration rules to enhance rather than create obstacles to mobility, while also emphasizing that internationalization strategies need to focus on more than attracting foreign students.

Published in July, European Higher Education in the World, is a communication that advises students and institutions on the challenges of globalization; stressing the need to work harder for European students’ international experiences. The report outlines key priorities for institutions and countries grouped into three categories: international student and staff mobility; internationalization and improvement of curricula and digital learning; and strategic cooperation, partnerships and capacity building.

“We must promote the international dimension among the 85 percent of EU students who are not mobile today,” Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said, presenting the communication. She added that the European Commission viewed internationalization not simply as a matter of increased mobility, stating that, “universities need to develop more international curricula, promote language skills and expand digital learning opportunities.”

Approximately €400 million (US$523) a year, from 2014 to 2020, will be earmarked for European universities to fund cooperation and mobility with non-European partners, with a target of 135,000 student and staff exchanges between the EU and the rest of the world. A pan-European campaign to promote Europe as a study and research destination is also planned.

– University World News
July 12, 2013

Eastern European Medical Schools Attract International Students

Medical schools in Eastern Europe have in recent years seen a significant increase in international enrollments, particularly in programs taught in English. The number of foreign university students in Hungary, for example, rose 21 percent from 2005 to 2011 (16,465), according to the Unesco Institute for Statistics. In Poland, there was an 80 percent increase in the number of foreign students from 2005 to 2010. The Czech Republic reported a doubling of foreign students from 2005 to 2011, while Slovakia saw a more than fivefold increase in its foreign student population.

In 2010, the fields of “health and welfare” accounted for 30 percent of foreign student enrollment in Poland, according to a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In Slovakia, 45 percent of foreign students were studying health subjects, while in Poland foreigners made up 15 percent of students in those classes, according to the OECD study. In Hungary, where four universities offer medical and dental programs in English, 42 percent of international students are studying in health-related fields, according to the OECD.

Reasons cited for the appeal of Eastern Europe’s medical schools include the perceived high quality of instruction, especially in English-taught programs; relatively low tuition; the option for rotations in a range of European countries; and ease of admission. At Semmelweis University in Budapest, foreign medical students pay less than $20,000 a year in tuition, and students from European Union countries can often get scholarships or student loans. At Charles University, which is in Prague and also offers an English-language medical program, annual tuition is capped at €14,100, or $18,600.

For Europeans, who typically have access to medical schools in their home countries for almost no charge, such fees can seem high. But the costs are comparatively affordable for students from the United States, where even in-state tuition at public universities can exceed $30,000 a year. Graduates who wish to practice in the United States, however, must pass the U.S. Medical Licensing Examinations. Similar requirements for local certification exist in many other countries, including Canada, India and Israel.

– The New York Times
August 11, 2013

Estonia

International Student Numbers Double in Four Years

There were 1,900 international students studying in Estonia’s institutions of higher education last year – twice as many as in 2008 – according to the government’s Statistical Yearbook, which was released in late July. Most of the students were from Europe (nearly 1,500), while about 300 came from Asia.

The total number of people studying at Estonian institutions of higher education in 2012 was 64,800, with approximately 3,000 at the doctoral level. The number of professional foreign researchers working in Estonia reached 351 from 53 countries, most notably Russia, Germany, Finland and Italy. That compares with 58 researchers of foreign origin in 2004, according to the report.

Officials commenting on the growth in international enrollments say it has come about thanks to support programs such as the European Social Fund, which finances doctoral studies, and the international advancement program “DoRa,” which promotes Estonian higher education opportunities abroad. Officials are targeting 2,000 international students by 2015.

– Estonian Public Broadcasting
July 29, 2013

France

Is the Baccalauréat Still Relevant?

A recent article in The New York Times examined the relevance of the French school leaving exam (and diploma), the baccalauréat – or “bac” – which it describes as a “rite of passage” for French youth, but which might also have outlived its utility since being introduced in the time of Napoleon in 1808.

The weeklong national test is the only consideration in the awarding of high school diplomas, themselves known as bacs, and without a passing score, university entry is closed off and job opportunities disappear. Nonetheless, its utility is growing ever less clear, according to French officials, students, parents, teachers and employers.

It focuses too little on logic or creativity, many complain, and too much on rote knowledge. Some critics say it has grown too easy, with a pass rate of about 90 percent last year; others contend that it now serves as little more than an exceptionally inefficient way to weed out the least-proficient students. The center-left government has pledged to “renew” the national school system, but its focus is on primary schools and there are no immediate plans for changes to the bac.

This year, 664,709 candidates were registered for one of the 91 versions of the bac: three “general” options (focused on the sciences, economics or literature), eight bacs for technical students and 80 “professional” bacs for students in vocational programs. More than 70 percent of young people earn bacs today.

Given the relative ease of passing the test, the bac’s primary function now seems to be to identify and punish the weakest students, the educators’ union has argued. In effect, the state pays nearly $2 billion to prevent about 60,000 students from moving on to higher education, the union said, well more than $30,000 per failed student.

But change is slow in coming. Lawmakers have in recent years moved to include classroom grades in criteria for diplomas, but withdrew their proposals after student protests. To count classroom grades would betray the French egalitarian ideal, many argue, because grading standards vary between schools and instructors.

– The New York Times
June 28, 2013

Germany

Germany Ranks Third Among Host Countries for International Students

According to the latest Education at a Glance report from the OECD, Germany had the third highest number of foreign students enrolled in its universities in 2011. Of all students studying outside of their home country worldwide, 6.3 percent are enrolled in German universities.

Germany was behind the United States, which hosted 16.5 percent of the world’s international students, and the United Kingdom with 13 percent. The study also revealed a decrease in the number of students from Germany studying abroad and a sharp rise in the number of foreign students from Russia and South Korea.

“We are very pleased by the fact that Germany remains the favorite non-English-speaking host country for foreign students,” commented DAAD President Professor Dr. Margret Wintermantel about the latest OECD figures. “We will only be able to maintain this position if we reach our goal of increasing the number of foreign students in Germany by 100,000 by the end of this decade.”

– DAAD
July 12, 2013

Bologna Transition to Bachelor/Master Structure Well Received Among Students

According to the results of a survey of German first-year masters students, most are finding their way into programs of their choice at institutions they want to be at.

The survey was conducted by Hochschul-Informations-System GmbH (HIS), the German higher education statistics agency, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The results showed that 95 percent of students were studying in their chosen fields, with 78 percent at an institution of their choosing. Additionally, 82 percent said the transition from bachelor to master’s programs, a new structure recently introduced under the Europe-wide Bologna Process, was smooth.

The Bologna reforms are designed to give students more flexibility in subject choice, with the ability to change path between first and second degrees. Under the old long-program magister and diplom structure, students were tied into a subject pathway from year one of the higher studies. The new bachelor and masters structure has been introduced across all disciplines and has largely phased out the old structure.

With the added freedom of the Bologna structure, 32 percent of masters students interviewed said they had changed their field of study between levels, while almost 40 percent switched to a new institution for the higher degree, with the choice of institution being based mainly on subject considerations.

– University World News
July 20, 2013

International Enrollments Increase Over 5 Percent in 2012

New data from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) show that enrollments from abroad rose 5.2 percent to 265,292 in 2012 versus the year prior, the fourth annual year of increasing enrollment and an all-time high.

The Wissenschaft Weltoffen report is released annually by DAAD and HIS, the German Higher Education Statistics Agency, and this year it found that while international enrollments are on the rise, the ratio of international students as a percentage of the total student body continues to fall, dropping to 11.1 percent from 11.4 percent last year and a high of 12.5 percent in 2005. This is due to a domestic student body that is growing at a quicker rate than the international student body.

The largest group of foreign students is from Turkey (28,501), although the vast majority are German residents (not citizens), followed by China (25,521), Russia (13,630), Poland (9,8522), and Austria (9,695).

– Wissenschaft Weltoffen
July 2013

Russia

Plan for a Giant Moscow Suburb ‘Education Cluster’ for Technical Universities Under Review

The Russian government is considering investing up to RUB100 billion (US$3 billion) to establish a giant educational cluster in the city of Domodedovo, in the Moscow region, reports University World News. The cluster would house the nation’s leading technical universities, particularly their academic buildings and sporting infrastructure.

According to state plans, at the initial stage five technical universities may move outside Moscow, with the possibility of expanding the list later.  The institutions include the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys; the Russian Economic University named after Plekhanov; Moscow Technical State University of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation; Moscow Industrial University; and Moscow Engineering Physics Institute.

Other details of the project have not been disclosed but representatives of the majority of Russian universities and the Russian Union of Students have strongly criticized the plans as being too disruptive and costly to large institutions with a history and real estate holdings in prestigious Moscow districts. Paul Pospelov, first vice-rector of the Moscow State Automobile and Road Technical University, said a move to Domodedovo would only be interesting to small institutions that did not have a lot of infrastructure and equipment.

– University World News
June 29, 2013

United Kingdom

University Applications, Domestic and International, Bounce Back After 2012 Dip

The number of prospective students applying to UK universities this year increased by 3.1 percent versus 2012 to 637,456, according to data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) published in July.

This year’s increase follows a drop in applicant numbers of around 51,000 last year, due to the trebling of maximum tuition fees to £9,000 (US$14,000). The latest figures, which show applications made up until the end of June, represent approximately 96 percent of all university applicants to full-time programs.

The number of applicants from EU countries rose by 4.3 percent, while the number of non-EU students applying via UCAS to study in the UK also rose by 6 percent.

– Times Higher Education
July 9, 2013

I-Level Examinations Proposed as Replacement for GCSEs

Under plans put forward by Ofqual, Britain’s examinations regulator, GCSEs will be replaced by a new qualification called “I(ntermediate) levels,” which will replace the current A* to G grades with numerical marks. The highest grade will be an 8 and the lowest will be a 1.

This will allow a higher grade to be added if necessary, so the whole grading system would not have to be re-done if it was decided there should be a greater distinction available to the top students. The aim is to provide harder content to allow for greater differentiation among the highest-performing students.

Previous government plans to create an English Baccalaureate Certificate under a new exam system operated by a single awarding body have been abandoned. The new system is currently scheduled to be introduced in schools from September 2015, and will represent the biggest reform of the school examinations system since GCSEs replaced GCE O-levels in 1986.

The new changes will apply to qualifications in English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, double science, history and geography. Other subjects will not initially be included in the new system, meaning hundreds of thousands of Year 11 students will sit a combination of I levels and GCSEs until the reforms are completed.

– The Telegraph
June 4, 2013

Majority of Universities to Charge Maximum Allowable for Tuition Fees

Nearly 75 percent of universities in England are planning to charge the maximum £9,000 (US$13,600) in annual tuition fees for some or all of their programs, according to figures from the Office for Fair Access (OFFA). However, the average fee level for 2014-15 will only rise by around £150 to about £8,650.

The total amount to be spent on supporting poorer students will rise to £708 million, up from £672 million. The fair access watchdog is publishing details of the fees that universities and colleges will charge in 2014-15 and how much they will spend on recruiting and retaining poorer students.

Before universities are allowed to charge fees above £6,000 per year, they have to sign an ‘access agreement’ with OFFA. These agreements show that 72 percent of universities are planning to charge the maximum £9,000 fee for some or all of their programs, compared to 62 percent the previous year.

– BBC
July 10, 2013

A Levels Gain in Popularity Among Chinese Students

Growing numbers of Chinese students are taking the British qualification at Chinese schools, while the Chinese university entrance examination – or gaokao – continued a five-year slide in test-taker numbers this year.

Cambridge International Examinations, a leading UK exam board, says schools in China made 20,000 entries for international AS and A-levels this year, an 18 percent rise on 2012. Edexcel, another examination board, says candidates have registered for 2,279 A-levels this year, compared with 111 five years ago.

While some are expatriate children at international schools, most are Chinese students at private Chinese schools or the commercial international branches of state institutions. One of the biggest attractions, say observers, is the broader range of subject matter and calmer pace of study. Many feel that the Chinese system, coupled with parental ambitions for only children, puts excessive strain on pupils. Others cite the opportunity to experience international learning styles close to home before potentially heading abroad for higher studies as another appealing aspect of taking foreign high school qualifications. It is also seen as an early preparation for overseas studies and immersing [them] fully in English language learning.

– The Guardian
June 7, 2013

Britain’s Transnational Enrollment Numbers Clarified/Questioned

Looking to stem the inward flow of immigrants to Britain, whether students or not, the UK government has shifted its focus away from attracting students to Britain in favor of a newer modality in international education: ‘transnational educational provision’ – or TNE.

Indeed, according to recent figures from the UK Universities and Colleges Application Service (UCAS), TNE today accounts for more enrollments (approximately 500,000) than traditional enrollments of international students on British campuses (approximately 400,000). However, in a recent article for International Focus, a publication of the UK HE International Unit, Professor Nigel Healey, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) at Nottingham Trent University, questioned the validity of the statistics, and indeed whether the government’s new focus on TNE is rightly placed.

As Professor Healey explains, “Transnational education embraces the raft of arrangements by which UK universities educate foreign students in their own country, through distance-learning, franchising and validating arrangements and offshore branch campuses. Transnational education enables universities to reach an exciting new market. For every foreign student currently enrolled on a UK campus, there may be hundreds of others who aspire to a British degree, but lack the financial means to study and live in the UK.”

All good and well, but Prof Healey goes on to clarify that current growth in transnational education statistics are “grotesquely overstated by the official UK statistics.” And this is largely due to a change in reporting. As HeaIey explains, “in 2008/09, Oxford Brookes University altered the way it reported a collaborative arrangement with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Under this arrangement, online students around the world who enroll on the final three ACCA papers are automatically registered as students at Oxford Brookes University for ten years. In 2007/08, Oxford Brookes reported just 870 students with overseas partners; by 2010/11, this number had grown to 239,945, accounting for almost 80 percent of the apparently sector-wide growth in transnational education.”

Additionally, Healey points out that 70 percent of students studying for a British degree wholly overseas were doing so part time or by distance learning, versus 15 percent among the international students studying in the UK. He continues by stating that, “a feature of many TNE programs is their flexibility, which allows registered students periods of extended inactivity, provided they complete within, say, eight or ten years. This further reduces the FTE [full time equivalent] value of TNE students.”

As a concluding point, the Nottingham Trent Pro-Vice-Chancellor clarifies that TNE students generate much lower tuition-related revenues than international students. Using the 239,945 students registered in 2010/11 with Oxford Brookes/ACCA as an example, Healey says: “These students do not pay directly for their registration, but make a one-off fee of £135 when they submit their dissertation to upgrade to a BSc degree, about 1 percent of the annual tuition fee paid by the 3,200 international students on campus. Put another way, more than 260,000 TNE students would need to submit dissertations each year for the university’s transnational revenue to exceed its earnings from on-campus students.”

– International Focus
May 2013

Government to Encourage 15,000 Brits to Study, Work in China

The British Council has launched a campaign to encourage and help at least 15,000 UK students intern or study in China by September 2016. The Generation UK program, which is kicking off with a China focus but will eventually broaden its mandate to include other countries, is a campaign that includes a mix of scholarships and other support packages for those interested in unpaid internships with businesses in China.

Universities Minister, David Willetts, speaking at the launch said that he not only hopes that more British youth will have “life-transforming” experiences in China, but also that the program would lead to gains for universities and UK businesses and employers.

Currently just 30,000 UK students are abroad studying, while there are 400,000 international students studying in Britain and even more studying for British credentials around the world. The British Council’s new scheme to rectify the imbalance mirrors the U.S. government’s 100,000 Strong China initiative and Australia’s AsiaBound Grants program, announced last year.

– The Daily Telegraph
June 11, 2013

U.S.-Owned For-Profit College Earns University Status

BPP University College of Professional Studies has been granted full university status by the British education authorities. Owned by the Apollo Group, the corporate parent of the University of Phoenix, BPP University College of Professional Studies, which offers undergraduate and graduate programs in business and law, now becomes BPP University.

BPP University is the second for-profit college to achieve university status in Britain, after the University of Law won similar approval last fall. The new university is based in London with campuses nationwide and currently charges approximately £5,000 (US$8,000) a year for a three-year degree. This compares to annual fees of up to £9,000 a year at other UK universities, after the government allowed institutions to treble tuition fees from last September.

BPP was originally awarded the title of university college by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts in 2010. It was the first time a private institution had been awarded such a title for 30 years.

– BBC
August 7, 2013