Work-study programs in USA is a unique opportunity for international students

Kampus Landing- Global Education Specialists in association with Stevens-Henager College is organizing free seminars on unique CPT opportunities in the USA for overseas students who want to earn a master degree from an accredited, high quality university, while working in full-time, paid job internships. 

The seminars are will be addressed by Mr. Jeffrey C. Capili, International Admissions Officer at Stevens Henager College in Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Jaipur on 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th Spetember respectively. The students, parents, educators and study abroad consultants are invited to attend the seminar and for more information, you may log on to Kampus Landing website or call Kampus Landing offices.

Stevens-Henager College was founded in Ogden-West Haven, Utah, in September 1891 by Professor J.A. Smith as the Intermountain Business College. The main campus is in Ogden-West Haven, and branches were established in Provo, Utah, in June 1978; Salt Lake City, Utah, in August 1999; Logan, Utah, in October 2001; and in Boise, Idaho, in April 2004. Today, Stevens-Henager College is known for its high educational standards. Academic majors are designed specifically to meet the changing trends and requirements of the business and medical employment markets. Business, technical, and medical leaders have come to recognize Stevens-Henager graduates for their superior training and their outstanding professionalism.

Stevens-Henager College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and offers a choice of programs at Associate, Bachelors and Masters Levels designed to prepare students for a career in the fields of healthcare and modern business.

International Student Work Study Program at Stevens-Henager College

Stevens-Henagar College offers a unique work-study program to international students. If the students are enrolled in one of the Master’s programs, they will be eligible to work and earn a salary while completing their degree, letting them experience a well-rounded American education both in the workplace and the classroom.

Masters Programs at Stevens-Henagar College

Master of Business Administration Degree
Master of Science Degree in Healthcare Administration

Stevens-Henager's work-study program is an academic opportunity, not an employment opportunity:

The cooperative work-study program is designed to help Master's students apply their classroom knowledge to "hands-on" practical work experiences in the United States. The legal description for paid employment while earning a Master's degree is Curricular Practical Training (CPT), and is authorized by the Department of Homeland Security for F-1 international students. A Student can work up to 40 hours per week, earn the same wages as those paid to American workers, and use the money to pay for tuition, fees, living and personal expenses.

The USP’s of Work-Study Programs are:

Evening classes schedule to accommodate your work timings
Work up to 40 hours per week with American companies
Earn same wages as paid to American workers
Eligible to work in the first month

The Career Services department will assist the students in finding employment following their first month of study. Also, classes are offered at flexible hours, including evenings to accommodate the work schedule. The work-study program takes 15 months to complete. But, prerequisite courses may extend the completion time by 1 to 6 additional months.

More Business Schools To Accept GRE Scores

Momentum for business schools to accept the GRE test, mainly used by graduate-school applicants in the social sciences and humanities, is building as those schools aim to attract less traditional applicants.

Since April, more than 100 business schools have said they will accept applications with GRE—Graduate Record Examination—scores. In the past, business schools have only accepted the Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT, which looks more at reading comprehension and reasoning. The GRE has a stronger focus on vocabulary and straightforward quantitative skills.

Top business schools started accepting GRE scores in 2006, led by Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Today more than 600 business schools world-wide, including Harvard Business School, the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and the University of California's Davis Graduate School of Management, accept GRE scores in addition to the GMAT.

It is a small but growing share of the roughly 13,000 business degree-granting institutions world-wide, according to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, an accrediting body.

The aim is to attract students who might otherwise have considered graduate study in public policy, economics or other disciplines. Schools want more than just "quant jocks" or single-minded financial experts, said Scott Shrum, director of M.B.A. admissions research at test-prep and admissions consulting firm Veritas Prep.

The Yale School of Management said it began accepting the GRE to attract a wider range of applicants in fall 2009, for students entering in 2010. About 10% of applicants in that first year submitted GRE scores. Bruce DelMonico, the school's admissions director, said the proportion has likely increased since then. He added that the School of Management accepts GRE test-takers at the same rate as it accepts GMAT-submitting applicants.

While Yale has been pleased with the early results, he adds that it is frustrating not to have much historical GRE score data that could "validate and calibrate" the school's admissions decisions. The first cohort of students who may have submitted those alternate scores are just now entering their second year of school.

Such a lack of institutional history was a turn-off for admissions officers at Rice University's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. Though it allows GRE tests for its executive M.B.A. program, the school doesn't accept GMAT substitutes for its regular M.B.A.

Assistant Dean Sean Ferguson said that because there's no "prototypical" applicant, the long-used GMAT provides a standard measure of a student's ability.

He also questioned whether applicants who take the GRE are really committed to attending a business program. "If you're interested in business school, we want you to be interested in business school," Mr. Ferguson added.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

US, UK no longer top educational destinations

With the shrinking portions of American pie, students aspiring to pursue higher education in the promised land are reworking their options.� Severe cuts in the budget earmarked for government research agencies such as National Institute of Health (NIH) as well as government funded projects in the universities has resulted in more students from the city looking at economic options such as Canada and Singapore.

Since the available funding is going to reduce, the chances of getting a fellowship and tuition waiver to study in the US seems bleak. “If I can’t get admission into a partially-funded or fully-funded programme, my best bet will be to apply to Europe, especially Germany or Sweden. Australia is definitely not on the list, given its reputation for hate-crimes,” says Pratyusha Chelikani, a professional who will be applying for M.S programme abroad.

Countries such as Germany, Canada and Singapore are now on top of the list for students interested in studying abroad. The fact that many of the European countries such as Norway, Germany and Finland offer tuition-free education to native and international students, make them a destination of choice. “When faced with the proposition of having to pay for the course, most of the students go in for the smaller countries as it is cheaper than shelling out large sums for the same course in the US or UK,” says an overseas consultant at Begumpet.

“Though Australia was my first option, I chose Singapore for pursuing my MBA as it was an overseas campus of an Australian university. While the degree awarded was the same, I could cut down on my expenditure on education by half” says S. Adithya, who is currently employed in the city.

Wooing Asian students to boost earnings from the international education sector is a trend countries have caught on. While US and UK evolve strict measures to restrict the number of students getting in every year learning from experiences such as the Tri-Valley incident, countries such as Ireland and Canada are bringing the complete range of academic fare on a platter to India by operating through select agents to boost the numbers.

Source: IBN Live

High Australian dollar, visa rules push foreign students to Canada

FOREIGN students are turning away from Australia and flocking to Canada as uncertainty intensifies over visa regulations and the high Australian dollar.

"Canada is inundated by international students and numbers are getting out of control," said Rod Jones, chief executive of education provider Navitas.

"Canada is benefiting from students who are turning away from Australia and the UK because of government changes in visa policy for foreign students.

"We are also seeing a pull-back of overseas students from China and Vietnam, who are not coming to Australia."

Enrolment fell 14 per cent in Navitas colleges in Australia during the last June/July semester, while numbers decreased 16 per cent in Britain.

Mr Jones said the pull-back was driven by uncertainty over government policy, which is "making it harder for students to study in Australia".

The high Australian dollar has also not helped.

Mr Jones made the comments as the company reported a 20 per cent rise in after-tax net profit to $77.4 million.

Navitas also reported a 25 per cent lift in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation to $121.1m.

Group revenue was up 16 per cent to $643.8m.

Navitas shares fell 7 cents to $3.78 in early trading at the sharemarket.

The Perth-based Navitas has a total enrolment of 14,600 students, of which 9700 are in Australia, 1400 in Canada and the US, 1250 in the UK and 2200 in Asia.

Source: The Australian

Study Actuarial Science in the US

With the Indian insurance and financial sectors growing rapidly, students doing a Masters in actuarial sciences in the US will have excellent prospects even if they return to India, writes a consultant.

There are three key aspects to making the right decision regarding collegiate and graduate higher education overseas: First, is understanding the various niche specialisations that offer a demand-supply gap in terms of employment; second would be the individual and career development benefits of studying at the right university that offer such niche programmes; and third is the interest and suitability of the student vis-a-vis the major and the university.   Let me start off by addressing two related questions students ask me: *“I studied something else in my undergraduate studies in India, how will I be admitted to a Master’s programme in a different discipline?” Past education need not be a constraint for your future education.  American education prides itself on flexibility.  Broadly speaking, an engineer can go on to study medicine and a doctor can switch to engineering studies, should he so desire.   As long as the prerequisites for entry to a programme of study are met, your undergraduate degree will not compartmentalise you and prevent you from studying a different major at the graduate level.    * “Why should I go to the US?  Why not study in India?” I ask the same question to students whom I meet.  Here are the main reasons they gave me for wanting to go to the US for such programmes, and I quote:  *There are not enough seats in accredited universities in India for such specialised programmes *India has become more global and it will give us a competitive advantage to have at least one international degree and then return to India *An international degree will offer us prospects for international careers Having said that, let me introduce you to a niche specialisation, actuarial science, that is currently very popular in the US. *The actuarial profession was included as one of the best careers in US News and World Report. The job of an actuary has also been rated as the second best job in the United States by the Jobs Rated Almanac. The popular reference book lists the actuarial profession above other highly regarded careers such as accountant or attorney.  * The Jobs Rated Almanac printed five previous editions between 1988 and 2001. In two editions, actuary was rated as the best job and in two others, actuary was rated second best. Actuary has never been rated lower than fourth, a ranking it received in the fifth edition before climbing two spots in the most recent edition. *The editors compiled statistics on 250 occupations, from accountant to zoologist. The occupations are ranked on the basis of six key criteria: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands, security, and stress. The data comes from government sources, such as the US Bureau of Labour Statistics and the US Census Bureau, as well as studies from trade associations and industry groups. *There are a few graduate programmes in the US focused on actuarial science.  Typically for actuarial studies faculty members are top-notch: All are fellows, the highest professional actuarial designation, and all have years of practical business-world experience.  When it’s time to seek your first internship or job, you’ll be able to interview with some of the world’s top employers.  Admission requirements To be admitted to the Masters in the actuarial science programme, you must have a bachelor’s degree with three semesters of calculus, a course in linear algebra, and at least one semester of probability and statistics. You must meet typical American university entrance requirements, such as, TOEFL, GRE, Letters of Recommendation, Statement of Purpose and so on.  Why is it perfectly suited for Indian students? Typically Indian students with Math, Statistics, CA or Engineering background excel in mathematics.  Moreover, Indian students excel in applying quantitative techniques in the financial services industry and with insurance applications.  In fact, American universities are surprised by the small number of Indians studying actuarial sciences there compared to the more robust number of Chinese students. The Indian insurance and financial sectors are also growing rapidly and there is not an internationally ranked Masters in Actuarial Sciences programme in India and therefore graduates would have excellent prospects even if they returned to India.   Source: Deccan Herald

Students face travel headwinds: Weak dollar and economy crimp trips

American travelers are up against a troubled economy and weak dollar that are making it more expensive to travel around the world.

Students are no exception.

As of this writing, the U.S. dollar is equivalent to 0.695 euros, down 10 percent since last summer. The British pound is 0.613 per dollar, off nearly six percent. The exchange rate drop comes as students have fewer dollars to spend because of the economy at home. It adds up to a difficult time for foreign travel.

Amal Khalil, a French teacher at Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, Calif. has planned student trips to France since 2007.

"It was in 2008 that I noticed a real decrease in sign-ups," Khalil said.

In 2007 trip she co-planned drew 42 students who toured Spain and France in 2007. The next year, Khalil had just six students travel to France. Students and parents told her tighter family budgets had a lot to do with the steep drop-off. Now, student travelers and their parents need to plan for unappealing exchange rates.

A traditional way to save has been to go as an exchange student instead of traveling independently. Students get the cultural and educational experience while staying with a host family, and therefore saving money.

AFS, previously known as American Field Service, has arranged high school student exchanges for more than 60 years.

Marlene Baker, a spokeswoman for AFS USA, said currency fluctuations don't have a big impact on its program because students stay with local families and get help with expenses.

"Of the approximately 1,200 U.S. students we send abroad each year, approximately 45 percent of them receive some kind of scholarship or financial assistance." Baker said. "If a student in high school wants to study abroad, there are so many ways to make it possible, including fundraising the way any student would for a school-based function."

Baker said that students who are determined to go to a specific country may have to bear more of the financial burden. But those that are flexible will likely find financial aid to help them defray costs from less popular destinations eager to attract students.

Foreign students visiting the United States have found the currency situation reversed, though many have to deal with the worldwide economic recession nonetheless.

The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel, a non-profit group that monitors exchange programs reported that 29,004 foreign students came to the U.S. in 2007-2008, the last year before the recession. The number fell to 27,924 the following year, but has rebounded by 2010-11 to 29,491 students.

Those who choose independent trips or informal group school trips are still finding ways to save as they travel the world. Fundraisers are proving to be the key to being able to afford to travel.

Travel agencies that cater to students are doing their best to accommodate for the rise in expenses.

STA Travel is a discount student travel agency that sends over six million travelers away each year.

Patrick Evans, an STA Travel representative, said that the agency sometimes suggests less expensive destinations than the usual choices like France, Italy or Britain. A prime destination right now is South America, particularly Peru and Argentina. A trip to Peru is fairly inexpensive, costing around $500 compared to a $700-$900 trip to Europe. One can get both cultural and volunteering experience in South America.

Evans advises that travelers plan ahead, know exchange rates, accommodate for price hikes during popular travel seasons, and hunt for local bargains when they arrive.

Despite budgeting, some students still find the costs a shock. While the price for travel and hotels may not be so costly, the amount spent "out of pocket" on other items like food, museums, and other attractions is adding up.

Nicole Lee, 17, is a recently graduated senior from Capistrano Valley High School. She along with other seniors traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin and London with history teacher Dr. James Corbett on his annual senior Europe trip.

She said she spent more than $1,000 USD in Europe on incidental expenses.

"The dollar is doing really badly against the euro and British pound; if it weren't for that, the trip wouldn't have been as expensive," Lee said.

Khalil, the French teacher at Capistrano Valley High School, said interest in her trips has rebound, in part because students have taken unique approaches to funding their trips. This year, Khalil is taking 12 students to Paris, Normandy, Brittany and the south of France.

Source: knox news.com 

Company had over €200,000 in bank just six months ago

The company that ran an English language school which has ceased trading had more than €200,000 in the bank just six months ago.

Documents in the Companies Registration Office (CRO) show that Abbey International Ltd, the company which operated the Abbey College in Dublin, had net assets of €228,135, according to 2010 accounts which were filed last May.

The company, which ceased trading with immediate effect last Friday, told students -- many who paid their course fees in recent days -- that it was making arrangements to have a liquidator appointed.

In a letter to teachers who worked at the school, the company said: "It is with regret that we must inform you that due to continued trading difficulties caused by the introduction of the New Immigration Regime for full-time non EEA (European Economic Area) students implemented on the 1 January 2011, the Management of Abbey College (Int) Ltd has no option but to cease trading effective immediately."

No advance notice of trading difficulties or the closure was given to either the Departments of Education or Department of Justice. The latter last night sought to reassure some 300 foreign students that the Government would do its best to protect their immigration status.

Students who do not have immigration permission or whose permission is due for renewal will be given a three-month temporary registration to enable them to to sort out their status.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that the immigration authorities would "be as helpful as possible" to students.

Rules

Last January the Government introduced new student visa rules aimed at streamlining the visa process for international students -- an annual €1bn industry -- and cracking down on abuses, especially in the lower-level academic language schools. The Government has limited to three years the time a non-national student can enroll on a non-degree programme or in a language school.

This was to prevent the serial enrolment in language schools where students kept their immigration status and worked inIreland, often without attending classes.

From January 1, non-EEA nationals coming to study in Ireland must be enrolled in a full-time course under an approved Degree Programme or Language and Non-Degree Programme.

Abbey College employed about 20 teaching and administrative staff.

According to abridged financial statements lodged last May in the CRO, the company owed €375,644 to creditors within the next financial year.

But the debts were offset by assets of €694,041, down from €865,348 the previous year.

When it lodged its accounts, the company had the aforementioned net assets of €228,135.

-Dearbhail McDonald and Fiona Ellis

Irish Independent

Why overseas postgrads should be encouraged to stay

DURING this year's State of the Union address to the US Congress, US President Barack Obama highlighted the important contributions international education makes to his nation.

He posed the question: why do we train international students in our education system to advanced degree level, and then send them home to compete against us? We should encourage them to stay in the US, he argued, to run research labs and build new businesses.

His comments equally apply to Australia.

Australia's international education achievements are notable:

We know that international education has become a multi-billion dollar export earner for our nation.

But more importantly, the international education sector exports successful graduates who are better prepared for future careers as a result of their Australian educational experience.

Graduates we educate have developed valuable skills, learned about Australian values, made Australian friends and networks, and will forever hold our nation in their hearts and minds as a place in which they spent their formative intellectual years.

The impact and value of these outcomes are impossible to estimate.

International education fosters friendships and alliances. When business and political leaders around the world and particularly in our region have graduated from Australia’s universities, we are better placed to understand each other and build shared opportunities.

How do we ensure that international research students who graduate with PhDs in increasing numbers remain in Australia to contribute their expertise as academics or as contributors to industry innovation, or return home and maintain active research connections with their colleagues in Australia?

There is no doubt that the public diplomacy and goodwill outcomes of international education are of enormous benefit to our nation. In the global race for research output and knowledge creation the population of Australian-trained PhD graduates help us to compete against much larger nations, such as the USA.

It is these non-tangible benefits, in addition to the economic benefits, that Australia will lose to other countries unless the government takes fast action on the student visa program.

Latest figures released yesterday by the Department of Immigration again confirm the predicted dramatic plunge in international students. At first glance the statistics suggest that student visa grants have increased overall.

However, look closer and it is clear that there is a significant decline in offshore visa applications and that it is the onshore visa applications that are holding up the international student numbers. Australia has received the lowest number of offshore student visa applications for higher education programs since 2006 - from a height of 99,000 in 2007 to 60,000 in 2011. Total offshore visa applications were down by 20 per cent in 2010-2011, with offshore visa applications from higher education applicants down 17 per cent.

Fourteen of Australia’s 15 key international student markets have slumped significantly. India is down 63 per cent, China is down nearly 25 per cent.

Australia once boasted the world’s best student visa program it was fair, transparent and consistent. However, since the government toughened up student visa arrangements international students have been voting with their feet and applying elsewhere. The immigration figures demonstrate this.

Federal government strategies such as the high level delegation currently being headed up by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Chris Evans, in India are admirable signs of goodwill but they will provide no immediate relief. The new Australia-India Education Council is a most welcome development and it has the support of both governments and the universities, but it will not make our student visa program competitive with the rest of the world once more.

The strong Aussie dollar, which makes life here more expensive for foreign students, is also not going to change overnight.

The one barrier to changing the downward decline of the international student market that can be changed and that can have an immediate impact rests with Parliament. The Knight review into the student visa program is due to be released shortly. It is Australia’s only immediate hope of an end to the tightened visa requirements and a change in the tide of plunging international student numbers.

At the very least, we hope that the new visa program will provide certainty for visa applicants. We hope that it provides fast-track opportunities for genuine students bound for our universities: students who aspire to study in Australia to create a better future for themselves and their communities.

If we do not take action, we are at risk of falling behind as a knowledge economy and becoming culturally introverted. Instead, we call for a future that builds on the forward-thinking success of our historical leadership in international education, ensuring that we build a stronger economy and advance Australia’s world standing.

Source: The Australian

Two years jail for IELTS fraud

THE former Curtin University admin worker who falsified International English Language Testing System results has been jailed for two years.

Keith Low, 32, was sentenced today in the District Court of Western Australia after pleading guilty to 15 counts of accepting bribes to help foreign students applying for Australian residency. He will be eligible for parole in 12 months.

The court heard he had received about $25,000 for changing the results of students who had failed the English language test. He had admitted taking $1500 a pop to change test results using the passwords of co-workers at Curtin English Language Centre.

Eight other people pleaded guilty to a total of over 40 bribery offences committed as part of the $100,000-plus scam, including intermediaries who took larger cuts than Mr Low. The others were former students.

Three have received sentences ranging from a seven month suspended term to 12 months jail, with the others due to be sentenced tomorrow.

The offences occurred over a 10-month period in 2009-10, and were detected last August. The offenders were charged following an investigation by Western Australia’s Corruption and Crime Commission. The university subsequently closed the centre.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has been reviewing the residency status of the people involved in the scam, including those whose scores were changed.

IELTS Australia director John Belleville said the sentences demonstrated that attempts to defraud IELTS tests would be identified and punished.

He said IELTS security systems had detected the anomalous results at CELC and brought them to the university’s attention. IELTS had also supported the CCC investigation, which hadn’t uncovered wrongdoing at any other test centres, he said.

“IELTS has sophisticated security procedures in place to protect legitimate test candidates and the organisations that use IELTS results.

“IELTS recognises the significant responsibility we have to ensure that organisations are issued with a result that reliably reflects a candidate’s English language proficiency.”

Source: The Australian

TDP chief asks Centre to intervene in UNVA issue

HYDERABAD: Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday requested union minister of external affairs SM Krishna to intervene and prevail upon US authorities to respond positively to the predicament of students of University of Northern Virginia (UNVA).

In a letter to the union minister, Naidu said that the future of many students from Andhra Pradesh is at stake after the decision of US authorities to terminate the student and exchange visitor programme (SEVP) certification of the university.

In case of the sham Tri-valley University, students from India had to face a tough time as the SEVP certification was terminated and the record was removed from Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Reasonable time must be given to students to relocate before this extreme step is taken, Naidu said.

“Higher authorities in US who issued visas to such sham schools are culpable and hence it is imperative that students should not be made to suffer pecuniary loss and full fee refund is arranged,” Naidu demanded.

UNVA students fear worst after raid

Students at the University of Northern Virginia say they are increasingly worried the school will close its doors forever after a raid by federal officials last week, but university officials said Wednesday they’re open for business and cooperating with investigators.

“UNVA does not intend to close at all,” the university’s attorney, Shawn Whittaker, told The Washington Times. “[Federal officials] have told us that any evidence is sealed. We don’t know exactly what the allegations are.”

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raided UNVA offices in Annandale on July 28 and seized computers, documents and other materials. While it’s unclear exactly what prompted the investigation, some are speculating that the university, a for-profit institution that caters to Indian students, sought to enroll more foreigners on student visas than allowed by law.

More than a dozen students have emailed The Times in recent days expressing fear, shock and anger over the ordeal. If the school closes, they would have two options: transfer to another university or leave the country.

Despite the assurances of Mr. Whittaker, students are preparing for the worst. On Friday, students will meet with the Indian ambassador in Washington. The meeting was organized by the Telugu Association of North America, a nonprofit Indo-American organization.

“God forbid, if the university closed down, [the students] will … lose their money, student visa status and have to start all over again,” TANAPresident Prasad Thotakura said.

Mr. Thotakura said he fears the school, which has an enrollment of about 2,300, will be forced to close after granting too many I-20 forms, the university-issued precursors to student visas.

But ICE spokeswoman Cori Bassett said Wednesday there is no specific number of I-20s a school can issue. Instead, schools can grant as many as they wish, provided they have the staff, facilities and resources to handle the students, she said.

Ms. Bassett also stressed that the school is only under review and could be cleared of wrongdoing. ICE, she added, cannot force the school to close.

While UNVA may go out of business if it can no longer admit Indian students — about 90 percent of the student body is Indian — that would be a financial reality confronting the university, not a decision by the federal government.

As for the investigation, Mr. Whittaker said he’s been told only that federal officials are looking into “fraud” at the school.

In a Wednesday letter to students obtained by The Times, he expressed confusion over the timing and motivation of the ICE raid.

“To date, UNVA still does not know what UNVA has allegedly done wrong,” the letter reads in part. “UNVA … will do what it takes to defend itself and its students.”

After ICE agents raided California’s Tri-Valley University — which also serves a large number of Indian students — in January, Mr. Whittakersaid, he contacted federal officials and asked whether UNVA was under investigation. He said officials told him no, but he now believes he was misled.

“ICE clearly was not truthful in its response,” he wrote in his letter to students.

Source: The Washington Times

Student traffic to UK, US may decline

The UK government's review of its visa norms since April is making students explore other study destinations.

Accredited overseas education consultants call it the Australia and the US effect. “With the instances of students getting attacked in Australia in 2009, and now sham universities in the US, UK has become stringent with its visa norms. It wants more serious students to come to UK,” said a Hyderabad-based overseas education consultant.

Australia recorded a decline of almost 63 per cent – from 18,514 in 2009-10 to just 6,875 in 2010-11 – in offshore international student visa applications from India in the last financial year. The UK, with an objective of reducing net migration and ensuring best talent, introduced changes to Tier II of the points-based system (for skilled migrants).

“Research showed that many migrants with Tier I post study work visas did not in fact find employment while others found low-skilled employment which was not commensurate with their qualifications. Tier I has been refocused as a route for entrepreneurs, investors and (from August 9) people with exceptional talent,” said Sam Murray, regional communications manager, UK Border Agency, South Asia.

As a result, more and more students are looking at destinations like Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Ireland and Australia.

“Canada is benefitting the most from changes in UK visa norms. Traffic to Australia and Europe too is catching up. We expect UK visa numbers to decline as largely Indian students go to private colleges in the UK. Majority of these colleges cater to students from low-income groups who prefer working than studying,” said an overseas education consultant based in New Delhi.

This April, UK did away with the Tier I Post Study Work (PSW) visa. The UK Border Agency confirmed that changes in the student visa rules will result in fewer visa applications.

“The UK government is committed to minimising abuse of the student immigration system, while ensuring support for the brightest and best students to continue to study at UK’s highest quality education institutions," said Murray.

The post study work route allowed international graduates to remain in the UK for up to two years, whether or not they were able to find work. The new announcement says, the post-study work route will close from April 2012.

Closure of the PSW was triggered by an increase in abuse in the private education sector in the UK. “It was found that there was increasing abuse in the private further education sector (by some, but not all colleges), so the reforms were targeted at those institutions where change was considered to be most necessary,” said Murray.

The first tranche of reforms in April this year included extending the more comprehensive public sector accreditation requirements to private education providers and ensuring that all sponsors meet highly trusted sponsor status.

“The new system is designed to ensure students come for a limited period, to study, not work,” UK's Home Secretary Theresa May had said, while announcing the new regulation.


Source: Business Standarad

'Genuine' students will reboot international education

AUSTRALIA'S international education industry is looking rosy in the medium to long term, according to the Australian-based provider Navitas, which says it expects a return to growth in the 2013 fiscal year.

“Demand from genuine students isn’t going away. It is growing dramatically,” said Navitas chief executive Rod Jones.

“The reality is that [in 2008-09] there was a whole pool of students that should never have been here. They weren’t genuine students, they were potential migrants.”

Navitas is a major international provider of bridging courses for international students. On Tuesday it reported a 7 per cent fall in second semester enrolments in its university pathway programs across its global network, compared with last year’s figures.

Falls of 14 and 16 per cent respectively in Australia and the UK outweighed strong growth in Canada and Singapore.

But Mr Jones said he expected the industry to eventually rebound to the boom levels of 2008-09, with the recovery based on more sustainable demand from genuine students.

He said international demand for studying abroad was growing. Citing UNESCO estimates, he said the number of students studying abroad was set to grow from 3.3 million in 2009 to 8.2 million by 2025.

The government’s response to the Knight review of the student visa regime will at the very least give certainty to the market, he said.

But the president of the International Education Association of Australia, Stephen Connelly, warned that the current decline would continue without a practical government response to the Knight review – for example, a reduction in the financial commitments student have to provide to get visas.

The government has received the Knight review and is expected to respond in September.

Offshore student visa applications dropped 20 per cent in 2010-11, according to the immigration department’s June quarter summary, but applications from onshore students kept the fall in total visa applications to just 5 per cent.

The report said the fall in applications appeared to be stabilising. But Mr Connelly dismissed this claim as “completely optimistic”.

He said the “churn” from existing onshore students could be expected to dissipate next year. “First semester next year is going to be one of the worst semesters we have had for many years,” Mr Connelly told the HES.

Earlier this year a study commissioned by Universities Australia forecast the number of international enrolments at Australian universities would fall by 3.2 per cent this year, implying a drop in new commencements of 23 per cent.

It expected commencements to largely stabilise in 2012 before returning to growth in 2013.

Flinders university deputy vice-chancellor Dean Forbes said the actual drop this year may not prove to be as much as the UA research had forecast, noting that Flinders was still tracking for some small growth in commencements this year.

But he warned that the visa applications data suggested a recovery may take longer than anticipated.

“Given our pathway providers are still struggling, next year isn’t going to rebound any where near as quickly as we hoped,” he said.

Source: The Australian