Category: Europe

The challenge of attracting international students in an increasingly competitive marketplace

“Universities might not be corporate entities, but they do need to adopt a business mindset to compete successfully”

How can universities in the UK protect themselves from losing ground to other countries hungry to encourage more applications from international students?

Although currently sitting at number two in the global rankings, the higher education sector is facing rising competition from other nations keen to maximise the income and enrichment that international students bring to campuses. And the stakes are high, writes Ian Anderson, Global Enterprise Architect at Ellucian.

June 29, 2022
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British Council, Europe, Higher education, Study abroad, UK

A UK degree in the UK or in China? Exploring Chinese students experiences and motivations

“Many education providers have started to think about alternative ways to allow their international students to receive in-person support and experience a physical learning environment”

The Covid-19 pandemic has posed important challenges but also proposed new opportunities and solutions to international education.

Most students worldwide have had to spend most of the past two years studying remotely, which has raised pressing questions about value for money, in particular for international students, and about the quality of the student experience.

June 9, 2022
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Edtech, Europe, Higher education, Transnational education, UK

What will global student mobility look like post-pandemic?

“We have outlined four key focus areas which can help benchmark your internationalisation strategy against rapidly changing market dynamics”

As we move beyond the Great Lockdown into the new normal, the challenge of attracting and engaging international students is no longer the same.

Covid-19 disruption has forced universities to think outside the box and build a more diverse international student pipeline, but what will global student mobility look like in three years’ time and which markets should recruiters prioritise?

“Aspirations are shaped in early years with more than one in 10 international students considering HE abroad before their eleventh birthday”

The past two years have undeniably presented significant barriers to international student mobility. Closed borders, digital learning, social unrest, virtual outreach, visa uncertainties and geopolitics to name but a few – but, far from hitting the panic alarm, millions of students continue to follow their dream of studying overseas.

Within UCAS’ new report, published today in collaboration with the US-based non-profit organisation College Board which delivers programs like the SAT and Advanced Placement, we estimate that during the pandemic, over 155,000 international students chose the UK as their destination of choice and begun their studies. The global HE marketplace appears to have weathered the Covid storm.

“As China begins to emerge from the pandemic, it is important to understand the future for UK China International Education”

Research commissioned by Study Group shows rebounding demand from Chinese students to broaden their horizons at UK higher education institutions. However, the study makes clear there won’t be a return to pre-Covid times – education providers will need to employ innovative approaches to unlock future opportunities, writes James Pitman, Study Group’s managing director UK and Europe.

Unlike the often-fragile relationship between countries and governments, education provides a unique opportunity for students worldwide build solid relationships in a supportive and open environment. Tertiary institutions in the UK have traditionally held high appeal for many Chinese students and their parents. With China representing a fifth of the world’s population and a rapidly growing economy, the UK and China have one of the world’s most important international education relationships.

“Given the far-reaching benefits of international experience, it’s vital as many young people as possible have the chance to access it”

‘We can see only a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.’ So said the pioneering mathematician and computer scientist, Alan Turing, in whose honour the Turing Scheme – the UK Government’s global programme to study and work abroad – is named.

It’s a quote that seems to speak to our times: the uncertainty that has defined recent years and the global challenges ahead. Turing himself studied abroad and, as applications open for this year’s funding, I hope he would forgive me for borrowing his words to reflect on the key challenges and priorities in international student mobility.

“One particular aspect of additional support that Guardians have offered is the provision of holiday camps during school holidays”

The additional stresses to both existing and new students due to Covid cannot be overestimated. Many existing students have not been able to return home for over 18 months, whilst some new students have been bewildered on arriving in the UK without the benefits of a prior visit due to Covid restrictions.

“This is why we have now added a medical questionnaire at the start of UK Education Guide’s student screening process, to particularly highlight any existing mental health issues,” says director, Rafael Garcia-Krailing.

March 4, 2022
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Accommodation, Boarding schools, Europe, UK

How to help academics in the Ukraine right now

“We need one Computer Science department that is able to program an app that can link the needs of the academics with the offers on European side”

As someone working in internationalisation of higher education and teaching international relations, I have spent quite some time in the last days how we in our specific area might be able to help the Ukraine – besides what we all do: donations, food, psychological support. And here is a very practical idea what we in higher education can do to help Ukrainian academics, writes Uwe Brandenburg, managing partner and founder of the Global Impact Institute in Prague.

“Hybrid working helped cushion the study travel sector from the disruption caused by the pandemic”

Travel restrictions swept across the UK in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which disabled the movement of international students and the operational ability of the study travel industry.

Countries across the globe closed their borders and transitioned to a traffic light system that ranked countries according to their Covid risk level. The UK immigration system was also pushed into limbo which sparked fears that the international student population in the UK would drastically reduce, writes Keith Tully is a partner at Real Business Rescue.

But yet, the study travel industry showing resilience in the face of Covid-19.

“Telling a Chinese student to critically appraise a text can often make them feel uncomfortable and the word ‘critical’ suggests ‘censure’”

A recent survey from UKI Student and School Forum and featured in The PIE News highlighted that international boarding school students, despite having potentially studied for several years in the UK, still worry about studying at degree level.

The transition to the UK education system is not an easy one for any international young person to make, but Paul Breen, from University of Westminster has some strong views on how the transition could be eased.