HE News Brief 19.11.2012
The key HE news items for the week are :
- UNITED STATES: Goldman Sach’s Foray Into Highered
- UNITED KINGDOM: Council for the Defence of British Unis
- CHINA: Higher Education For Foreigners
- INDIA: 6 Levers to Enhance Quality in HE
HE News Brief 23.7.12
- INDIA: A new epicenter for higher education
- SOUTH AFRICA: Fighting racism in institutions
- UNITED STATES: Financial forecast tool released
- UK: Inequality for state schools
HE News Brief 16.7.12
- WORLD: Shift in global dominance of graduates
- WORLD: English language courses on the rise
- INDONESIA: New law allows foreign institutions to operate
- UK: Oxford receives a generous donation
HE News Brief 5.3.12
- Europe: Research ministers call for bigger role for social sciences in Horizon 2020
- India: Massive rise in number of Indian students sitting Graduate Record Examination
- US: Liberal arts education on the rise in Asia
- Asia Pacific: Australia-China higher education forum announced
HE News Brief 20.2.12
- India: Distance learning institutions are widening participation
- UK: Universities are fined record amounts for accepting too many students
- UK: British government have implemented stricter rules for student visas
- Rankings: Kenyan government to produce rankings
HE News Brief 18.10.11
by Abby Chau
- UK: A new report outlining the higher education outlook
- LATIN AMERICA: A new rankings of the region has raised questions about governmental spending habits
- INDIA: Foreign branches must adhere to too many restrictions
- US: Some institutions have closed foreign branches
- AUSTRALIA: Trends for international student numbers Continue Reading
Indian students make a beeline for Canadian universities
By Kanika Tandon, Education Writer
Indian students looking to study abroad are finding Canada an increasingly desirable destination. “Indian students have rediscovered Canada in the last few years,” says Simon Cridland, Head of the Advocacy Programme at the High Commission of Canada in India. The High Commission has witnessed a considerable increase in student visas issued over the past two years. In 2008, the total number of Indian candidates applying for Canadian student visas was a relatively small, but decent 3,000. However, 2010 statistics reveal that the figure has soared to 12,000. Embassy officials are reportedly confident that the numbers will double again over the next two years.
Enrolment figures at the University of Toronto (ranked 29th in QS World University Rankings® 2010), which has seen a massive increase in Indian student enrolment, corroborate this. Richard Levin, Executive Director of Enrolment Services at the University, informs us that between 2006 and 2010, the university recorded a 27 per cent increase in applications and a 52 per cent increase in Indian students registering for undergraduate programs.
The steady growth in the country’s popularity as a higher education destination among Indians can be ascribed to several factors, including the consistent efforts of the Canadian and Indian governments to cement their bilateral ties. With 3 of its universities in the Top 50 of QS World University Rankings® 2010, Canada offers higher education which is internationally recognized and globally respected for its quality – it also helps that tuition is relatively low! “Canada generally is a safe, peaceful, affordable and attractive destination for international students, with an excellent education system,” says Levin. Continue Reading
Using rankings to set policy and funding criteria
by Ben Sowter
I recently received an email from a professor at a Spanish university. In a nutshell, his university had revised its funding policy guidelines to include the criterion that PhD students should have taken their undergraduate program at a university within the top 500 in Webometrics in order to be eligible for funding. Before applying this criterion, he had a PhD candidate from the University of Mumbai that was placed 3rd, introducing it dropped her to 7th and ineligible for a grant. The professor pointed out the University of Mumbai’s position of 155 in our ranking but this was dismissed by the committee due to the fact that QS is a commercial entity and thus our observations somehow invalid.
Our response (below) may make for interesting reading – it’s not just about promoting the strengths of the QS approach to ranking but also about how rankings might more responsibly be applied to this kind of context.
HE News Brief 15.3.11
by Abby Chau
IN THIS EDITION
- UNITED KINGDOM: British Council’s “Global Gauge” places Germany as the best country for international study
- HONG KONG: Do rankings encourage Asian universities to “westernize?”
- INDIA: Ministerial support for foreign universities establishing campuses reiterated
- NORTH AFRICA: Do student protests work after all?
- DENMARK: Foreign students priced out of courses
HE News Brief 1.3.11
by Abby Chau
- A new report by the European University Association (EUA) has been published to address how institutions can look elsewhere to diversify their income. The report is based on 150 responses from universities spanning 27 different countries and shows that although public funding accounts for 73% of budgets, institutions must get creative in order to remain competitive. Findings show that red tape and an inflexible structure can stronghold universities from seeking private funding.
Full Story: Science Business
- In less than a decade, South Korea has tripled its international faculty and is poised to make significant gains in its internationalisation program as heavy hitters like the United States and the UK slump into economic austerity. Currently 7% of South Korea’s faculty are foreign hires, compared to Japan’s, which has a longer history on the international stage, average of 5%. Last year the government approved a $752 million World Class University Project which, among other initiatives, earmarked funds to hire more foreign professors as a method to modernise its higher education system. However, many are saying that there are issues that still need to be ironed out, such as the fact that salaries for foreign professors are nearly double that of domestic faculty, and a recent survey by the Education Ministry found that international faculty average a stay of only four months before they decide to leave their post.
Full Story: Chronicle of Higher Education Continue Reading
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