Top 12 Trending International Education News
Feb 18, 2021
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State Dept. Exempts Foreign Students from Travel Restriction
Foreign students studying in the United States will be able to return to the US automatically, despite President Joe Biden's across-the-board travel restrictions, under a set of new exemptions laid out by the US Department of State. F-1 and M-1 student visa holders coming from the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa may still be granted national interest exemptions to President Biden’s proclamation which bars the entry of travelers coming from those areas. These exemptions include considerations on where the point of entry of a foreign national would be in the national interest of the US.
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Dependent on Foreign Students, Canada Universities Risk Revenues as Vaccines Lag
The pandemic-induced travel restrictions that kept foreign students off-borders have caused tremendous financial setbacks to Canada’s universities. Although the enrollment of local students may offset the losses, lower tuition fees for Canadian citizens still meant a huge financial gap. As most Canadian universities rely heavily on international student enrollments who pay tuition fees at non-discounted costs, revenues may remain at an all-time low if the restrictions persist. Because of this, universities may have to consider cost-saving alternatives.
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International Students: Why College Income is in Freefall
The plummeting enrollment of international students have been causing declining revenues from college tuition in the UK. But the reason for this is not just because of the usual culprits: the pandemic and its consequent restrictions. There are other reasons why there is a dramatic fall in college income in the UK, one of which is better government policy. There is optimism, however, in the new Turing scheme, which will replace the European Union’s Erasmus+ and which aspires to fund students and apprentices to study and work abroad from September this year.
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Brexit: Welsh Students' Return to Erasmus Scheme Ruled Out
The European Union has ruled out allowing Welsh students to stay in its international study programme, Erasmus. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pronounced that the only way Wales could continue was if the whole of the UK rejoined. Millions of students across Europe have taken part in Erasmus since its inception in 1987, with the exchange scheme allowing students to study at thousands of educational institutions across more than 30 countries. Earlier this month, the UK government has announced an initial £110m (about $153m) investment in its Turing scheme which is set to give students in Wales the support and opportunity to study and work abroad.
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Australian Universities Offer Rebates to Foreign Students Stranded Overseas due to the Coronavirus
Australian universities have been maintaining a competitive edge in an attempt to keep attracting international students. As the continent anticipates prolonged economic turmoil and persistent border control due to the global health crisis, universities have now resorted to offering free rebates for foreign students. On top of this effort, one university has turned its sole overseas facility in China into a study hub for foreign students.
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Overseas Student Numbers Down by 15.4% Compared to a Year Ago, Foreign Workers Down by 11.9%
New Zealand has experienced a slow and steady decline in student and work visas. Based on a report by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, overseas students are down by 15.4 percent while work visas are down by 11.9 percent over the same period the previous year. The number of student visas has been declining by about 2,000 a month since mid-2020.
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Penn Gets 50% More Int’l Applicants than in 2020 while Foreign Enrollment Sinks Nationwide
Penn has received over 11,000 international applications for the Class of 2025, recording a 50 percent increase from last year’s figures. Based on the data, 13 percent of the admitted students for the class of 2025 are international enrollees who hailed from 56 countries. Several factors have contributed to this unprecedented increase, such as Penn’s test-optional policy as well as the opportunities for students to access virtual programming during the pandemic. In March of 2020, the University announced it would no longer require SAT and ACTs for applicants in the 2020-2021 admissions cycle.
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Canada Named One of the Top Destinations for International Students in the World
According to CEOWORLD, Canada is ranked number four in the world for international students. The United States ranks number one, while Australia and the United Kingdom rank second and third, respectively. The study ranked 46 countries on equally weighted indicators based on their education systems, access to high-quality teaching, the number of research institutions, and university funding. They also took into account specialization expertise, industrial linkage, institutional output by research, higher education institutions, government expenditure on education total, student visa, and post-study work visa credentials.
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Indian Students Top Priority in New UK International Education Strategy
The UK’s new International Education Strategy aims to increase international education by focusing on India, improving the international student experience, and supporting opportunities in online education. It will also focus on providing “clearer, more accessible” information and advice tailored to international students’ needs. The strategy aims to improve the application process for overseas students, their academic experience, and will as well give a greater focus on the UK graduate outcomes and employability.
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Foreign Students Now Allowed to Enter Taiwan
The Ministry of Education (MOE) announced recently that all foreign students approved by the Taiwan government are now allowed to enter Taiwan. The MOE stated that foreign students, including all degree students and Ministry of Foreign Affairs scholarship recipients with advanced Mandarin, can enter Taiwan. Upon their arrival, they must present a negative PCR test report, complete a 14-day quarantine, and undergo further medical tests after which they must continue seven days of self-health management. Universities are required to help the students book rooms for epidemic hotels for a duration of 16 days. Students will shoulder the bill for their quarantine hotels, but the government will cover costs for their medical tests.
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Mumbai’s Chinese Varsity Medical Students Await the Lifting of Curbs
Medical aspirants from Mumbai pursuing their degrees from universities in China are still in the lurch. After spending months back home due to the pandemic, the recent statement released by the Chinese government still gives no clear direction on when the ban on international students ends. According to the rules in China, MBBS students need to finish their final-year and immediately have to complete a 52-week physical internship in assigned hospitals to be awarded an MBBS degree. While the first, second, and third-year MBBS students are currently attending lectures online, final-year students are at a loss as their internship can only be completed once the lockdown restrictions are lifted.
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Schools Seek Answers on International Students
The Victorian government is being urged to consider all options to get international school students back into the country, including putting them on charter flights and into residential quarantine. More than 40 Victorian schools are proposing that students from low-COVID places such as China, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Cambodia take exclusively commissioned charter flights to Melbourne. The students can then go into hotel quarantine with parents or school staff, and rejoin Victorian classrooms. Separately, the Australian Boarding School Association is in talks for international students to quarantine, alongside school staff, at hotels in South Australia and Tasmania.
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Featured Institution: St. Thomas University
Located in Fredericton on Canada’s east coast, St. Thomas University overlooks the beautiful St. John River Valley. It is a public Catholic liberal arts university offering bachelor's degree programs in the arts, education, and social work. The university also offers several unique programs including recognized majors in criminology, journalism, human rights, communications, and public policy. The university holds Canada Research Chairs in narrative studies and global and international studies, as well as a health research chair in community health and aging.
At present, STU is home to approximately 1,900 students and the average class size is 30 with no class larger than 60. Some of St. Thomas's most notable alumni include a Canadian prime minister, a New Brunswick premier, federal and provincial cabinet ministers, clerics, and university presidents.
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Featured Program: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Offered by the Aloha state’s premier university, the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program is designed to engage students in the productive practice of computer science to solve problems in a range of applications by applying sound principles of theoretical foundations and mathematical bases. Students graduating in this Computer Science course will be able to analyze complex computing problems, design, implement and evaluate computer-based solutions to meet a given set of computing requirements in the context of computing science. Hawai’i Pacific University (HPU) has won the Hawai'i site ACM International Collegiate Programming team competition eight times from 2003 to 2017. HPU is located in the relaxed urban Honolulu business district which has plenty of internship and career opportunities.
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