Want to keep up-to-date with
SEM WORKS?
Subscribe to RSS

• Studying Abroad Grows in Three Trends- Chinese students who elect to study abroad are showing three new trends. More students are self-financing their time abroad, the students who go abroad become more diversified, and students have a larger selection of schools and fields of study to choose from. Read more
• Canada and China Discuss Growing Opportunities for Education Ties -Opportunities abound for greatly expanding educational collaboration between China and Canada, and both nations could benefit from augmenting their partnerships, exchanges, and joint research, according to officials from both nations... Read more
• 'The Chinese Are Coming' - Colleges in U.S. see dramatic increases in undergraduate applications from world's most populous nation -- and face ethical issues raised by the way students are recruited and coached. Read more
• China Is Sending More Students to U.S.-American universities are enrolling a new wave of Chinese undergraduates, according to the annual Open Doors report. Read more
• Asian Universities Seek Students From Nearby Shores- Attending a university overseas has long been an aspiration for many Chinese. With the appetite for higher education showing no signs of abating among the growing Asian middle class, more countries in Asia are positioning themselves to attract students. Read more
• Asia Rising: Countries Funnel Billions Into Universities - Most American states have cut higher education in the recession, but some East Asian countries have raised investments in it, hoping to spur growth. Read more... (subscription required).
  
  
  • Singapore: Teaming Up With Foreign Universities for Innovation
  • China: Attract Talent First, and Outstanding Universities Will Follow
  • South Korea: Supporting Research to Build Industries
  • Table: Asian Universities on the Rise: a Comparison With U.S. Institutions
  • Table: Scientific Research: Asian Countries Expand, U.S. Holds Steady

A. Canada as a destination of choice for USA students…

• US Students Bargain Shopping at Canadian Universities - Canadian university recruiters south of the 49th parallel have been enjoying a good year with many American applicants, who face significant tuition savings in crossing the border. Read more
• Distance not a significant factor in college application process, US survey finds: In a recent survey of American college-bound high school seniors, distance from home is not a particularly influential driver in a student's decision to either apply or attend a particular school. Read more (subscription required)
• US government issues guidance on commercial recruiting agents: The US State Department has put out a policy guidance that prohibits its EducationUSA advising centres, of which there are 450 worldwide, from forming partnerships with commercial recruitment agents who have contracts to represent specific US institutions, saying such recruiters lack objectivity and may limit international students' college options. Read more | Read the guidelines

B. The USA as a destination of choice for foreign students…

• Number of Foreign Students in U.S. Hit a New High Last Year- India and China led the way as more foreign students than ever, and particularly more undergraduates, enrolled in American colleges. Read more
• Chart: Top Countries of Origin of Foreign Students in the United States, 2008-9
• Chart: U.S. Colleges With the Most International Students, 2008-9
• Chart: Foreign Students in the United States: a Snapshot of Fall 2009
• Chart: Trends in Undergraduate and Graduate Enrollments of International Students
• International enrolment at US grad schools holds steady: According to a new study from the US-based Council of Graduate Schools, the number of foreign first-time students at American graduate schools is flat this year, following 4 consecutive years of growth. Read more | Read the full report
• American Graduate Programs With Overseas Partners Are on the Rise- Despite logistical hurdles and costs involved in setting up dual and joint degrees abroad, American institutions are showing interest. Read more (subscription required)
• Australian student-recruitment firm to enter US market: IDP Education, the largest and most successful student-recruitment firm in Australia, announced it has plans to branch out into the US. It is coming, though, not as a competitor to American universities, it says, but as a potential business partner. Read more
• International 'Leapfrogging' - Study examines the impact of decline in share of world's college students who are educated in the United States. Read more

• Ambitious Indian students rarely consider Canada- Last year, Australia attracted 96,739 Indian students, the US brought in 94,563, and a mere 6,937 came to Canada. ...Part of the problem in marketing Canada in India is money, and another hurdle is that most Canadian universities do not recognize 3-year degrees from India. Read more
• India plans 14 new innovation universities: Starting in 2010, India's Human Resource Development Ministry plans to establish 14 new "innovation universities" with "disciplinary focuses" to advance research and development in health, environment, power plants and other areas. ...India also hopes to close the gap with China, which graduates about 50,000 PhDs each year. India currently graduates only about 8,000 PhDs annually. Read more
• India's PSE minister outlines regulations for foreign universities: In an interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education, Kapil Sibal, India's minister responsible for higher education, discusses his pledge to allow foreign universities to operate in the country. Stressing there are no "preconditions" for foreign institutions wishing to enter the Indian market, Sibal states that schools will be able to determine their own tuition and curricula, but must seek accreditation in India and cannot repatriate profits. Foreign institutions will not have to comply with India's quota laws, which set aside a percentage of seats for students from various social classes, so long as the schools do not accept federal or state government support. Reads more (subscription required)

• Foreign students abusing work-study program: official- Martin Mundel, an immigration counsellor and program manager at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, has blown the whistle on an alleged scheme in which the majority of prospective Korean students bound for private language schools in Canada do not actually attend school, and instead use the work permits they receive as part of the deal to secure jobs. Read More

• More Iranian grad students choosing to study in Canada: …According to figures from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the number of graduate students hailing from Iran tripled between 2002 and 2006. In 2006, Iran ranked 6th among countries that send students to Canada. Read More | Read also Iranian grad students increasingly eyeing Canada for study

• Declining youth cohort a threat to Japanese private institutions: With the number of 18-year-olds on the decline in Japan, the enrolment crisis at the country's private universities has reached "ridiculous" proportions. Government figures show 47% of Japan's 550 private 4-year universities are falling below their government-set recruitment targets, and more than 40% are reportedly in debt. Read more (subscription required) 

• New visa requirements jeopardize study plans of Mexican, Czech students: Students from Mexico and the Czech Republic planning to study at Canadian institutions this fall are being told they may require a temporary travel visa on top of their study permit, given new visa rules effective today. Read More

• Iraq to Send Students to Colleges in US, Abroad- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said his country plans to send up to 10,000 Iraqi students per year to colleges in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia over the next five years as a part of a new scholarship program. Al-Maliki said the country's education system has suffered after years of war and dictatorship. Read more

• Saudi Arabia to Launch Elite Research University- Saudi Arabia has dug into its oil-fueled coffers to set up a new research university, a multibillion-dollar coed venture built on the promise of scientific freedom in a region where a conservative interpretation of Islam has often been blamed for stifling innovation. Read more

• European Universities Look to Other Continents for New Partnerships- The European Union is fostering partnerships that give universities in its member countries an edge in their internationalization efforts. Read more

• UK: British Degrees Exported to Overseas Students- Universities are tapping a huge market of students who want the prestige of a British degree but cannot afford to come to the UK to study. Read more

• Canada India Foundation, uWaterloo sign $10-million endowment MOU: The University of Waterloo and the Canada India Foundation announced Monday a joint initiative for the advancement of Canada's research capacity in studying the politics, economy, and social condition of contemporary India and bi-lateral relationship of both nations through a proposed establishment of a $10-million endowment. Read more
• York establishes MBA program in India: York University's Schulich School of Business has launched the Schulich MBA in India, making it the first MBA program to be delivered in that country by an international business school from outside India. Read more
• York introduces degree verification service: York University has developed a Web-based degree verification system called "YU Verify" for employers, immigration officials, and other institutions wanting to check whether someone holds a genuine degree from the university. York has also made changes to its degrees and transcripts as part of efforts to strengthen and safeguard the integrity of the school's degrees. Read more | See also
• Ontario invests in study-abroad opportunities: The Ontario government announced a $3.5-million investment in Ontario International Education Opportunity Scholarships to support nearly 1,400 post-secondary students as they complete a portion of their studies abroad. Universities and colleges may award $2,500 scholarships to students participating in study-abroad programs that are longer than 8 weeks, and colleges may give out $1,250 scholarships for opportunities lasting longer than 4 weeks, but less than 8 weeks. Read more
• Federal government assists STU in recruiting US students: Through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the federal government is committing $750,000 to help St. Thomas University develop a new marketing campaign targeting students in the US, particularly those living in the New England region. Preliminary research in the New England market indicates STU can capitalize on both its geographical proximity to the US and the relative cost advantage offered by lower tuition fees at the university. Read more | Read also
• Bring Personality to International Recruitment - International student recruitment web pages have lots of content about available programs and the policies and procedures to follow to earn a degree or study abroad for a semester. Not many put visitors in contact with international students already enrolled to learn about their actual experiences. This link of the week selection uses a "Contact a Current Student" page with the names and study areas of 17 current international students and invites questions to them by email. See link at http://www.american.edu/ocl/isss/AU-diplomat-profiles.cfm See also www.bobjohnsonconsulting.com/linkoftheweek.html. Some Canadian institutional websites to check out:
  
  
  • Centennial College International Centre website profiles a breadth of resources and step-by-step guidelines for admission of international students. http://www.centennialcollege.ca/International
  • Fanshawe College International Services website promotes an iWeek on the benefits of international education and training. http://www.fanshawec.ca/en/international/default.asp
  • UBC Student Services website offers comprehensive services for international and study abroad students at one click. http://www.students.ubc.ca/international/index.cfm
  • U of Waterloo website offers tips and advice from international students. http://www.international.uwaterloo.ca/
  • Vancouver Island University website offers translations in 21 languages: http://www.mala.ca/highschool/index.asp
  • Trent University website promotes "more funding for scholarships and bursaries than any other undergraduate university in Canada". http://www.trentu.ca/international/financesandscholarships.php
  • Concordia University website promotes the "Concordia China Student Recruitment Partner Program". http://www.concordia.ca/info/futurestudents/international/
• Partnerships to bring top Chinese doctoral students to uSask: The University of Saskatchewan's College of Graduate Studies and Research has signed memoranda of understanding with 6 Chinese universities that will provide graduate study opportunities for 20 PhD students at uSask. Read more
• Humber boosts recruitment efforts in China with marketing competition: As part of efforts to raise its awareness in China and to broaden the number of its Chinese educational partners, Humber College, in collaboration with Research in Motion and lululemon athletica, organized and sponsored the first-ever international Humber 2010 China Marketing Plan Competition. Read more

• New Edition of NAFSA's Guide to International Student Recruitment – Completely revised, this carefully crafted guide showcases all aspects of recruiting, including ethics; effective strategic planning; credential evaluation; visas; print, Web, and mobile advertising and marketing; international travel; recruitment fairs; measuring results of efforts; on-campus recruitment team-building; overseas networks; alumni contacts; working with third-party agents; and has a full index. It includes information on recruiting for two-year colleges, as well as intensive English, graduate, and MBA programs. Read more
• Internationalization's Focus Shifts From Research to Preparing Students- Universities around the world are paying more attention than ever to broadening their overseas ties, but new data reveal surprises about their priorities and motives. Read more http://cge.cua.edu/res/docs/Priorities-in-Internationalization.pdf
• Canada to require biometric data of foreign students: International students applying for study visas to Canada will be required to provide biometric identification details, such as fingerprints, within two years, according to a senior Canadian immigration official who spoke here on Wednesday at the annual conference of the Canadian Bureau for International Education. Read more
• ICE's "unFAIR" a reverse of traditional international recruitment fair: The International Center for Education Inc. (ICE) recently announced its latest international venture called "unFAIR," meant to be the opposite of traditional international student recruitment fairs. The "unFAIR" entails Canadian college and university recruiters travelling to select cities in India to visit local students in their high schools, and build strategic contacts with guidance counselors and key influencers at town hall-style seminars. Read more
• Foreign Students Are Content With Canada, Even if It Wasn't Their First Choice- Although almost half of international students studying at Canadian post-secondary institutions admit Canada was not their top choice among study-abroad options, 9 out of 10 students would recommend the country as a study destination, according to survey results presented by the Canadian Bureau for International Education at its annual conference this week. Read more (subscription required)
• The Global Education Research Reports series is a joint effort of IIE and the AIFS Foundation to explore the most pressing and under-researched issues affecting international education policy today. The series will include five reports over the next three years as part of the AIFS Foundation's mission to provide educational and cultural exchange opportunities to foster greater understanding among the people of the world. See http://www.iiebooks.org/gledrere1.html
• Synergy 09 Education Conference on China and India- The Canada-China Business Council and the Canada-India Business Council co-hosted this conference in September 2009. Refer to website for background papers
• Canada: International Students May Be on Immigration Fast Track - A programme that allows international students to work for up to three years after graduation might increase Canada's recruitment competitiveness. Foreign applicants for a university place have discovered that employment of that duration puts them on an immigration fast track; this means choosing a Canadian university now offers more than just a degree. Read more
• Growing and Adjusting Abroad -Research presented at the international educators' conference explores the impact of short-term study abroad, and factors that put foreign students at risk of cultural adjustment problems. Read more http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/01/nafsa
• Building Study Abroad Capacity - This recent whitepaper notes that while most colleges are actively trying to increase study abroad capacity, there are significant financial challenges. Read more
• Canadian university enrolment up by 38,000 students: According to the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, this fall, Canadian universities attracted an additional 7,000 full-time international students. Read more

Hear Jim Black and other experts live at the Boston SEMM Forum!
Looking to enhance your SEM knowledge in skills? The Strategic Enrollment Marketing & Management Forum (SEMM Forum) will be taking place in Boston on March 2nd. This concise 1–day conference is a great learning opportunity that won't keep you in hotels and away from the office at great expense. Plus SEM Works newsletter subscribers can save $50 off the registration cost with this special discount code: SWK4. Register before the early-bird deadline to save even more! Visit www.SEMMForum.com for details and to register online now.