Where students are studying and why

These are my picks for this month’s most noteworthy news stories in international student recruitment and mobility.  This will be my last post for the next week or two, as we all celebrate the end of the 2011 and welcome the start of 2012!  Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season.

• INDIA: New destinations for students heading abroad – This is something I’ve written about recently; Indian students are increasingly looking to study outside of the traditional destinations of USA, UK and Australia.  As more ‘education hubs’ appear, education abroad choices become more varied.  It’s a good thing.
• Asia to crack top university ranks – The usual university rankings are unfairly weighted towards US and European institutions.  Universities in developing nations can’t, and shouldn’t, be compared to top ‘Western’ universities because of the unique role of each.  And Asian institutions should not be recruiting international students only to try to be included in the major rankings; recruitment should be part of a broader strategic plan which focuses on the particular elements a university does well.
• Britain ‘misses long-term economic benefit’ from overseas students – A study warns that the British economy could suffer in the long run because the number of international students on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses is increasing and these students then return to their home country after graduating, thereby taking the knowledge and skills gained in Britain away from Britain.  I see this as a bizarre kind of ‘Catch 22’ situation: we aggressively recruit international students for the money they bring to institutions and to the country, yet we (the UKBA) make it nearly impossible for them to stay in the UK and work (with the demise of the post-study work visa), then we bemoan the fact that we have brain drain and long-term economic detriment because international students are returning home.  Am I missing something?
• Harvard’s grand experiment: Send 900 biz students abroad – Will this experiment be a success?  It’s ambitious, but could pave the way for copycat programmes in business schools everywhere.  Watch this space.
• VIETNAM: Struggling to attract international students – As with nearly every other country, Vietnam wants to join in the race to recruit international students.  But institutions in Vietnam face significant challenges, least of which is language. Still, I think if they can manage to achieve even half of their stated enrollment targets, they should consider it a success.  And what a beautiful place to study….
• Survey Shows Educational Institutions Increasingly Going Online to Reach and Attract Students – Even though this is written more like a sales pitch than a news article, the overarching theme is worth paying attention to: universities’ use of digital marketing, including using social media, to recruit students is growing.
• As US makes student visas harder, Australia says come study here – Students from Latin America are being courted by Australian universities.  Although traditionally the top destination, tight student visa regulations in the USA, as well as the high cost of higher education, are pushing Latin American students to look elsewhere.  Australia is saying “Welcome!”

Tagged as: education abroad, internationalization, Student mobility