Regional

42 Percent Rise in Number of English-Taught Masters Programs in Europe

A new briefing paper published by the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) Center for Academic Mobility Research suggests that the number of English-taught master’s programs in Europe has increased by 42 percent since 2011 to 6,609 in June 2013. The paper, English-Taught Master’s Programs in Europe: A 2013 Update, builds on a report published by IIE in June 2011, and provides a data-driven look at the continued growth of master’s programs in Europe taught entirely or partially in English.

In recent years, European countries in which English is not the primary language of instruction have developed an increasing number of programs taught either fully or partly in English in order to serve domestic demand for higher education in English and to attract students from around the world.

The authors, Megan Brenn-White and Elias Faethe, examine statistics obtained from MastersPortal.eu, an online directory and comprehensive source of information about graduate degree programs in Europe. The authors examine the growth of English-taught master’s programs in Europe, including the total number of programs offered by country and academic discipline, their duration, and data on prospective students.

The top host countries for English-taught master’s programs are: Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, France, and Spain.

– IIE
September 2013

Cyprus

U.K. Campus Folds After Just One Semester

The University of East London (UEL) has ordered an investigation into its international activities after the closure of its Cyprus campus, which recruited just 17 students in its first six months. News that the university was closing its Cyprus campus emerged in April but Cyprus Mail sources said that operations would not cease until March of next year.

Despite the turmoil, UEL has ensured that the students who will not be able to continue studying at the university are compensated for any fees they have paid. Cyprus Mail sources also revealed that UEL went ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty by offering the students the opportunity to continue studying in London or at another university in Cyprus and that the university would cover certain costs.

– Cyprus Mail
September 16, 2013

Greece

Facing Severe Austerity, University of Athens Halts Operations

Universities in Greece have been under internationally mandated austerity measures since the collapse of the Greek economy, and they now say they cannot continue. The University of Athens, which was soon followed by other Greek universities, announced in late September that it could no longer operate because of all the layoffs.

After the University of Athens announced it could no longer function because of lay-offs demanded by the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank, universities in Thessaloniki, Patras, Ioannina and Crete followed suit. All say that cuts of up to 40 percent of administrative staff, including guards and archivists, have made it impossible to keep their doors open.

Until now government posts had been guaranteed by the Greek constitution. But almost four years into its financial crisis, the country’s creditors have said deficit-reducing targets demanded employees be dismissed. Officials at Athens University say that in all likelihood they will lose the next six months at least.

– The Guardian
September 25, 2013

Republic of Ireland

International Enrollment Drops Despite Government’s Promotional Efforts

New figures show a fall in the number of international students studying on full-time programs in Ireland, from just under 12,000 to below 10,600 over the last five years. The decline, which follows a decade of growth up to 2008, comes despite government efforts to promote Ireland as a world-class education destination.

While Ireland is attractive as an English-speaking country and a gateway to the EU, there may be a number of reasons for a fall in students coming from abroad, including the relatively low placement of Irish institutions in international rankings.

The figures from the Higher Education Authority do not include thousands of students who come to Ireland every year to learn English or on one-year programs through the EU Erasmus mobility scheme.

– Independent
September 6, 2013

Saudi Enrollments Skyrocket

Education in Ireland, the organization responsible for marketing the Irish higher education sector to international audiences, has reported a dramatic increase in the number of Saudi students opting for third-level education in Ireland.

The figure has risen from approximately 200 students in 2009 to 1,738 students studying and preparing to study in Ireland this year, the majority of who are under the King Abdullah Scholarship Scheme.

– Education in Ireland
September 15, 2013

Russia

Government Approves List of ‘World-Class’ Universities to Receive Additional Funding

The Russian government has officially approved the list of leading universities that will receive state subsidies this year of RUB592 million (US$20 million) each to help improve their international images and performance.

The list includes: Tomsk Polytechnic University, the Higher School of Economics Moscow, the Engineering Physics Institute, the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys and the National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics.

According to state plans, the funding is aimed at raising at least five domestic universities into the top 100 on international rankings by 2020. It is planned that a portion of the ‘world-class’ funds will be used to promote Russian universities abroad, and to organize tours for Western journalists to Russian universities. There are also plans to create a website profiling top institutions.

– University World News
September 11, 2013

Turkey

Inbound and Outbound Academic Mobility Trends, Recruitment Potential High

According to a report released by the British Council ahead of the European Association for International Education’s annual conference held in Istanbul in September, 49,116 Turkish students travelled overseas to study in 2010 while in the six years to 2011-12, the number of international students attending Turkish universities more than doubled, from 15,481 to 31,170. Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Northern Cyprus were the top three sources of international students.

The report, The Importance of International Education: A perspective from Turkish Students, found that Turkey’s strategic location and the government’s active support for higher education internationalization were behind the country’s increasing popularity as a study destination in the region and around the world.

The report also detailed the results of a countrywide survey reflecting the views of 4,816 students aged from 22 to 25 years, finding that 95 percent of respondents would like to study overseas. The report said that unmet demand for higher education is over 70 percent, suggesting strong international recruiting potential especially given the country’s strong and quick rebound from the global economic crisis, and its young demographic. It says 1.8 million students sat for this year’s Transition to Higher Education Examination, competing for around 530,000 places at the country’s higher education institutions.

When survey respondents were asked in which country they would like to study, 30 percent said the UK, 30 percent also chose the United States, 8 percent chose Germany and 4 percent said Canada. Other popular study destinations were: France and Italy (3 percent), Spain, Australia and Switzerland (2 percent), and Sweden (1 percent).

Of Turkish students abroad, many are there for just summer schools and short courses, with just under 22,400 pursuing a year, semester or complete program overseas. However, the report pointed out, the number of Turkish students overseas “may not be representative of the true number owing to the large number of Turkish students in Germany and in the wider Turkish diaspora,” who are classified differently by statistics agencies. Germany’s large Turkish diaspora has made the country an attractive destination for young Turks, especially so given the low living and tuition costs. Turkish students often move there to apply for university. About 28,500 Turks were studying in Germany in 2012, compared with fewer than 4,000 in the UK and about 12,000 in the U.S., the report adds.

“Some report that Turkish students overseas number as many as 100,000. Turkish students looking to study overseas may be motivated by the strong competition for domestic university places and pressure of the YGS [undergraduate-placement] exam,” said the report.

– Times Higher Education
September 12, 2013

United Kingdom

QAA and British Council to Partner in Safeguarding Transnational Higher Ed Standards Abroad

Britain’s Quality Assurance Agency and the British Council have announced a new partnership, aimed at “safeguarding and promoting” the reputation of UK transnational higher education. According to figures from the Higher Education Statistics Authority, there are currently more students studying for UK degrees abroad (571,000) than there are international students in the UK (488,000).

The announcement coincided with the publication of a British Council report, The Shape of Things to Come – The evolution of transnational education: Data, definitions, opportunities and impacts analysis, which examines the development of transnational education and environmental factors conducive to its successful delivery.

“An exhaustive analysis of available global data suggests that transnational education is continuing to expand at a brisk pace; both in terms of scale – program and student enrollment – and scope – diversity of delivery modes and location of delivery,” said the Council in its release.

It was in response to concerns about quality that the partnership between the British Council’s Education and Society Strategic Business Unit and the Quality Assurance Agency was forged to “protect and enhance the reputation of courses offered under the UK banner.”

The organizations reached agreement on ways to cooperate by sharing evidence and market intelligence on the reputation and standards of UK transnational education programs and qualifications. They will also work together to enhance the global profile of UK higher education and identify ways of cooperating to provide services to international clients.

– University World News
September 6, 2013

British Government Launches New Initiative to Promote Study Abroad

Currently there is just one British student studying overseas for every 15 international students in the United Kingdom. To address this imbalance, the government launched an initiative at the end of July called the Outward Student Mobility Strategy as part of a broader “International Education Strategy,” which – in addition to wanting to send more UK students abroad – sets out plans to expand the number of international students in Britain by almost 90,000 — a 20 percent increase — by 2018.

The European Commission has set a target across Europe for 20 percent of students to spend at least three months working or studying in another country by 2020. While this is a Europe-wide goal, all member states are expected to do their part, and this was reaffirmed at the latest meeting of European education ministers at last year’s Bologna process meeting in Bucharest. The UK has a long way to go, with less than 2 percent of British students believed to have any experience studying or working abroad.

With initial funding of £450,000 (US$720,000) through 2016, the UK HE International Unit will lead the new effort that will target percentage increases in outbound students from specific under-represented areas, like health sciences and health care.

The national strategy, to be officially launched this fall, wants to target young people before they reach higher education and is looking at partnerships with others, such as the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s ‘Routes into Languages,’ which sees universities working with schools and colleges in England and Wales to help promote outward mobility.

A positive sign for the initiative to get more students overseas came from a recent survey of headmasters of UK independent schools, which found that nine out of 10 heads of schools had seen increased interest in applying to universities overseas among sixth-form students in the last two years. Dramatically increased tuition fees in the UK was cited as the main reason for the increased interest, while greater availability of information on study-abroad options and a greater awareness of how a foreign degree can improve career prospects were also cited as important factors. The United States was regarded as the number one study destination, followed by The Netherlands. Other popular countries included Canada, Australia, Ireland, Italy and the Czech Republic.

– University World News
September 21, 2013

Scottish University to Open a New York City Campus

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) became the first British university to open a campus in New York in September.

GCU New York (GCUNY) is offering executive training programs and master classes in a range of subjects, from fashion business to TV drama writing. It will also provide an opportunity for Glasgow-based students to study in New York and allow U.S. exchange students to come to Scotland and London. Although there is scope for expansion, GCUNY will initially have space for 100 students and a core team of staff.

GCU opened a campus in London in 2010 and it is hoped the three hubs will work together between the three cities.

Principal and Vice Chancellor of GCU, Professor Pamela Gillies said: “GCU will be the first British university to open a campus in New York and it will be modeled closely on our highly-successful GCU London campus – we were also the first Scottish university to launch a base in the capital and it has reached its maximum capacity in just three years of operation.”

– The Evening Times
September 24, 2013

Malaysian Medical School Opens London Campus

A private medical school in Malaysia, Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS), is to build a London campus after the purchase of a major university site in London.

The site, which previously housed Middlesex University’s Trent Park campus, attracted international attention when it was acquired by AUCMS for £30 million (US$46.5 million) this year. The site comes complete with a lake and nine buildings, including student accommodation, dining halls and lecture theatres.

Approximately 300 students are expected to be on campus by October. AUCMS, based in Penang, has five specialist medical schools and around 3,500 students. It has also been expanding into business studies, accounting and hospitality. While it aims to secure accreditation as a British university in order to be able to enroll British students, for the time being existing AUCMS students from Malaysia will spend time there.

AUCMS has been offering a medical degree in Malaysia, in collaboration with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and one in conjunction with Indonesia’s Universitas Sumatera Utara. It is planning to build two hospitals in Penang by 2015. The university has been trying to attract more foreign students to its Malaysian campus, mainly from Indonesia, Thailand and the Middle East.

Another private institution, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, was the first Malaysian university to set up a London campus in 2007. Limkokwing has branch campuses in Bali, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, China and Cambodia.

– University World News
August 31, 2013