A Record Year for International Higher Education - YTI Magazine by Stephanie Manning

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ÂŠ John Gardiner, Vancouver Island University

A Record Year for International Higher Education

New opportunities are emerging for education agents as an increasing number of universities and governments promote their educational programmes internationally in order to attract the brightest, most lucrative students.

The global flow of students and the nature of learning is changing rapidly with the development of new university-industry partnerships and technological innovations. Some universities are offering online distance learning courses to reach a wider international student population while others are developing “branch,” “satellite” and “outpost” campuses abroad, particularly in the areas of business management and technology. And universities are increasingly looking to intermediary education agents to help recruit and enroll new students from all over the world.

Increased demand for international student places The global demand for international higher education is expected to quadruple to more than 7 million students by 2025, according to research by IDP Education Australia, which looked at changing demand in over 130 countries. In sixteen years time, IDP believes that Asia will make up 70% of total international student demand, which will be led by China and India.

student International Mobility untries for Top 5 host co ion: higher educat international es at • United St ngdom • United Ki • France • Germany •

China

s: host countrie Top 5 emerging ; % 28 up a, • South Afric 25.3% up a, in Ch • up 26.2%; • Argentina, up 29.6%; • Ecuador, 24.2%. • India, up untries (for Top sending co tions): non-US institu • US • China • India • Canada • Russia las 2007 IIE’s Project At

Today’s students are finding that an increasingly diverse choice of study abroad destinations and programmes, combined with weakened currencies, means they are getting more for their money when it comes to investing in higher education abroad. English speaking students are now looking beyond long-popular Europe to new high-tech campuses in destinations such as Beijing and Malaysia. And Middle Eastern students funded by government scholarship programmes are choosing to study in Europe and the USA.

Globalising the Campus Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor of Exeter University and leading expert on politics and globalisation, provides insight into the changes currently occurring in universities. According to Smith, the ‘globalisation of campuses’ has become the key trend for higher education. Teaching affluent, full-fee paying international students for a semester or full degree programme is extremely attractive to universities who may be experiencing cuts in their government funding. “But internationalisation is not just about recruiting students from abroad for the local campus. It extends to research, partnerships, exchange programmes and the recruitment of staff. Universities are most likely to be successful in gaining a global competitive edge if they have a large number of international research and development collaborations,” says Smith. The ‘Open Doors: Statistics on International Student Mobility’ 2008 Survey found that nearly 60% of US institutions have taken special steps to ‘globalise their campus’

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These steps include: • Hiring new staff specifically for international recruitment (cited by 29%) • Developing new international exchange programmes and partnerships (28%) • Providing more funding for international recruitment trips (23%) particularly to Asia, China, Korea, and India • Providing more funding for international marketing and promotion of programmes (21%)

Government Scholarship Programmes Government funded scholarship programmes in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Turkey are fuelling the demand for international student places at established universities abroad.

Market Hotspot - Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is fast becoming a market hotspot for International Higher Education due to a population/economy boom and improvements being made to its higher education system. The Saudi government has been investing in new higher education institutions (12 new universities have been built since 2004) and providing international scholarship programmes to Saudi students wishing to study abroad. The ‘King Abdullah Scholarship Programme’ established in 2005, fully funds 23,000 Saudi students a year to

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study in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, China, and India. As a result, Australia has reported a 500% increase in Saudi Arabian enrollments between 2002-2007 and the US, a 130% increase from 2006-2007.

New opportunities for education agents In September 2008, The International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC) produced a report on the new global opportunities and challenges that exist for education agents and members within international higher education. The report concluded that high demand from students combined with government funding and the streamlining of study/ work abroad visas, are creating immense opportunities for education agents, particularly those with specialised market knowledge. In recent years, the number of international students placed by agents has grown immensely and is predicted to continue increasing. i-graduate’s 2008 Agent Barometer found that 290,000 students were placed in overseas institutions by nearly 2,000 agents that year. The Agent Barometer also reported that education agents are diversifying into offering additional study abroad services such as: • • • •

Cultural orientation programmes Language prep courses Travel arrangements Travel insurance

• • • • •

Academic advising Marketing and recruitment services Immigration/visa advice Tuition fee collection Student employment programmes

Market barriers for education agents However, as international opportunities have increased, so too have the barriers that prevent education agents from entering or developing the market.

• Competition in Established Agent Network The competition amongst agents with well established reputations in long-popular markets such as the UK, US, Canada, and Australia present a challenge to new agents wishing to enter the market. Agents with specialty knowledge of emerging markets and programmes can carve out unique educational programmes, markets and services to offer to students on behalf of universities.

• Visa & Immigration Policies The monitoring of constant changes to immigration and visa policies relating to travel, study, accommodation and work regulations requires a significant investment, and knowledge of the sector, in order to be delivered successfully. There is high demand by universities, students and parents for agents that can

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provide accurate, clear and timely education information and services.

• Resistance in Higher Education System to using Agents In some countries, the use of commercial marketing techniques may be frowned upon by some academic institutions and may require some refinement in order to fit in with this culture. In other cultures, it will be necessary to follow guidelines and satisfy requirements outlined by governmental education initiatives.

The Year Ahead This year’s increase in international student enrolment may be stunted slightly by the struggling economy but industry leaders are confident that international higher education will remain one of the most resilient and robust market niches.

According to the Institute of International Education, the largest growth area for universities is the development of exchange partnerships with other educational institutions worldwide.

Case Study: Exchange Student Lee Clarkson, a 24 year old exchange student from the University of Sussex in the UK, is currently studying at the National Taiwan University.... “Sussex University has flexible exchange agreements with several universities including Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. But Hong Kong’s high cost of living and Japan’s requirement that students must have an elementary command of the Japanese language eliminated these options for me. In the end, I chose the National Taiwan University as it offers flexible course options and the affordable lifestyle helps, which includes free student accommodation. I’m really enjoying the opportunity to experience a totally different culture for the semester ”.

The life and career enhancing value that international education brings is an ambition that many young students, their parents, universities and governments remain keen to invest in no-matter-what. Top three major fields of international study: • • •

Social sciences (21.4%), Business and management (19.1%), Humanities (13.2%).

Key forecasts for 2020:

The International Higher Education 2008 Report mentioned in this feature is online now at www.aboutistc.org

• East and South Asia will account for the majority of the new demand in 2020, with China and India being the largest markets • Demand for higher education programmes delivered internationally (e.g. through online distance learning, etc.) could quadruple by 2020 • Global demand for international student places in English speaking destination countries is likely to increase from the current 1 million to 2.6 by 2020

ISTC is a founding member of WYSE Travel Confederation.

‘Vision 2020’ by the British Council

About The International Student Travel Confederation The International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC) was established in 1949 to help member organisations explore and develop new opportunities and services for young people wishing to embark on educational travel experiences.

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