A very rare and remarkable resemblance between the domestic and international education landscape which has sparked homogenous reporting on education:
The AFR reported yesterday (“International uni enrolments slow” – no online version available) on the decline of international student enrolments. The US media reported on the exact same problem domestically, with George W. Bush raising the alarm at the State summit attended by over a hundred university presidents.
So Australia is not the only country suffering a loss in numbers of foreign students. And given the massive dependence on international fees to sustain higher education institutions, the competition between universities from developed countries is heating up.
USA TODAY (“USA losing its advantage drawing foreign students”):
Rising U.S. tuitions, increased tension between much of the world and the United States and post-9/11-related immigration issues have all fed a decline in foreign student enrollment. So, too, has heightened competition from the rest of the developed world. For the USA, attracting foreign students is also crucial at a time when public opinion polls show that many abroad intensely dislike U.S. foreign policies.
THE AUSTRALIAN (“Unis depend on money from foreign students”):
Students have cited global security concerns and the worsening exchange rate among reasons for the crisis, but the slowdown has also coincided with the sharp increase in university fees. Education Department figures show the average course fee for a foreign student has risen from about $16,000 a year last year to $17,000 this year - an increase of 6.25 per cent.
Also see:
TODAYOnline [Singapore] (“Australian universities in foreign cash windfall”)
Hindustan Times [India] (“Sending students to the US, trends appear to be slowing down”)
The Age (“Unis gambling on foreign cash”)
The Australian (“Boom in overseas students is over”)
