Top 12 Trending International Education News
September 9, 2021
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India Students Flock Back to US Universities as Visas Fast-tracked
The US mission in Delhi reports that consulates and embassies have issued more than 550,000 exchange visitor and student visas in 2021 despite the COVID-19 lockdowns. India is one of the few countries to report success in visa approvals for the US in time for the Fall term in 2021, resulting in mass arrivals of Indian students in the US. The reason offered for this development is the added hours for visa appointments at US embassies in India and the clear vaccination guidelines provided by universities.
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Late Course Changes and Uncertainty: Why Some Students are Finding 'a Bit of a Dumpster Fire' Back on Campus
The persisting pandemic continues to cause struggle among international students with some universities in Canada deferring the opening of classrooms for in-person learning. The University of Calgary, for instance, switched about 150 in-person courses to online in late August. In this feature, a couple of international students share their experiences and thoughts about the sudden switch to virtual learning, after they have already paid for flights and accommodation on top of the tuition fees.
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Covid Scotland: University Students Unable to Travel Amid Red List Hotel Quarantine Chaos
Scottish universities have stepped in to help international students who have been held up due to “significant issues” in the national system. This is after the government-mandated agency, Corporate Travel Management (CTM), failed to send booking emails and was unavailable on the phone. This caused global learners to defer boarding flights indefinitely as their £2,285 hotel quarantine accommodation was unconfirmed. Scottish HEIs who have taken action were also unable to reach CTM.
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More International Students Arrive in Netherlands as Pandemic Restrictions Ease
After a steep drop in the size of the international student population at the start of the pandemic, the number of global learners is set to rise by around 10% this year. According to the immigration service IND, it had received 15,110 study visa applications from outside the European Union by the end of July. Most applications are from China, India, the United States, Turkey, and Indonesia. In 2020, there were only 12,310 international student applications sent to IND, a 40% drop from pre-pandemic numbers.
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International Students, Temporary Visa Holders With Exemptions Taken Off Qantas Flights from India
Contrary to the Qantas website statement that it will accept passengers with a valid visa and an exemption to the travel ban, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has confirmed that only Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate family members can avail of seats on government-facilitated commercial flights from India. Temporary visa holders, including international students, are excluded. Students wishing to go back to Australia will have to book scarce flights with other airlines, which are charging 10 times the regular price per ticket. Some students were bumped off their Qantas flights at the last minute, costing them thousands of dollars.
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New Zealand Universities Climb in Times Higher Education World Rankings
Several New Zealand universities have climbed in the latest world rankings from Times Higher Education for 2022 released in the UK just recently. The list ranks 1,600 institutions in the world based on teaching, research, international outlook, citations, and industry income. Among the gainers is Lincoln University, currently at 501-600, up from 601-800 last year. Institution heads consider ranking up in the time of lockdowns as “no mean feat.”
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International Students Critical to U.S. Science
The National Foundation for American Policy (NFAB) has recently released a brief revealing that international students in US universities account for most full-time graduate students in various science fields. These include petroleum engineering (82%), electrical engineering (74%), and computer and information sciences (72%). The brief pointed out that far from taking seats from local students, international students tend to encourage domestic enrollment. The loss of foreign students would shut down many graduate science programs and departments.
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Desperate for Housing: International Students Struggle Amid a Shortage of Affordable Options in Halifax
International students in Canada are in a race to find affordable housing options as universities are opening soon. On top of the pandemic-induced bureaucracy, global learners who are visiting Halifax for the first time are further challenged by the shortage in the availability of economic renting options. According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the vacancy rate in Halifax is one of the lowest in the country.
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Surge in Queries for Overseas Study Loans
Education loan institutions in India are seeing a jump in outbound student inquiries. According to HDFC Credila, one of India’s largest loan institutions, there is a 209% growth in overseas education loan applications in the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the first quarter of the previous year. Based on their report, the growth is traced to students looking to study in the US, Canada, the UK, and other European countries. The rise in loan queries supports the record high approval of US study visas for Indian students as well as the 19% increase in the number of students accepted in UK universities this year.
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1,000 Overseas Hong Kong Medical Students Could Intern in City under New Proposal, Government Says
The Hong Kong government has announced that graduates of foreign medical schools who are permanent residents and are able to pass the local licensing exams will be allowed to intern in Hong Kong. This decision aims to solve the shortage of medical and nursing staff in the city. The medical registration ordinance is also hoped to be expanded to include a hiring scheme that will cover medical school graduates who are non-permanent residents. The city currently has a ratio of two doctors for every 1,000 residents.
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Bangladeshi University Students Demand to Resume Studies in China
More than 1,000 Bangladeshi university students staged as they demanded to be issued visas so they could immediately return to China. They hope to be able to resume in-class learning which has been stalled for nearly two years due to the pandemic. Around 10,000 Bangladeshi students studying at Chinese universities and colleges returned home when COVID-19 first broke out in China’s Wuhan city.
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China’s Foreign Students Beg Beijing to Allow Them to Return to the Country to Resume University Study
Foreign students stranded abroad due to the pandemic are appealing to the Chinese government to grant them visas so that they can return to the country and continue their university studies. China still does not grant visas to international students except those from South Korea after the two countries signed an agreement reinstating visas in July last year. China’s foreign ministry stated it was aware of the issue of foreign students being unable to return to the country and said the government is planning for foreign students’ return and class resumption issues on the condition of preventing the epidemic safely.
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Featured Institution: Los Angeles Mission College
Los Angeles Mission College (LAMC) is a public institution located in Sylmar, California. It has a total enrollment of almost 10,000 with a student-faculty ratio of 26-to-1. The college offers degrees and certificate programs in 24 different fields. Popular majors include Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, and Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services. LAMC is the ninth and youngest college established in the Los Angeles Community College District and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
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Featured Program: Communication Studies
Mount Saint Vincent University’s Communication Studies is a multidisciplinary program leading students to develop practical communication skills for engagement in the workplace, at home, in society, and the world. Students who earn a degree in Communication Studies successfully find employment opportunities in a variety of areas where effective interpersonal, organizational, intercultural, ethical, and/or media-savvy communication expertise is required. Graduates of this program typically work in the field of media, academe, research, sales, human relations, customer service, social services, business management, public relations, advertising, law, politics, consulting, and publishing. Located in Nova Scotia, Canada, Mount Saint Vincent University is well-known for its small class sizes and personalized approach to learning.
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International Education Conferences & Workshops |
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September 14 to 16, 2021 (Online)
September 28 to 30, 2021 (Online)
Bolder. Braver. Go
Sept 28 to October 1, 2021 (Online)
Australia’s Gold Coast
October 5 to 8, 2021
(Online)
October 18 to 22, 2021
(Online)
October 19 to 22, 2021 in Chile (Online)
Relevance and Value of Universities to Future Society
October 26 to 29, 2021, Dublin, Ireland
November 15 to 19, 2021 (Online)
September 28 to October 1, 2021, in Gothenburg, Sweden
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November 25 to 28, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan (Online)
December 1 to 3, 2021 in New Zealand
December 8 to 12, 2021 in Miami, Florida
Education: building forward; stronger, bolder.
January 16 to 19, 2022
March 24 to 26, 2022 (Online)
March 27 to 31, 2022 in Vancouver, Canada
Building Our Sustainable Future
May 31 to June 3, 2022 in Denver, Colorado, USA
September 13 to 16, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain
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