Research

A first-of-its-kind report by the Australian Trade Commission reveals the first six months of the year have seen an 11.5% increase on January to June 2013, with green shoots being seen in the ailing VET sector and notable growth from most source markets.

The annual National Student Survey in the UK, which polls final year undergraduate students about various aspects of their education experience, has revealed a 10-year high in overall satisfaction levels across students studying in the UK, with 86% indicating they were happy with their course. The University of Bath got the best individual rating for a mainstream HEI.

Almost two-thirds of international students consider offline communication as important as online information when researching higher education options according to a TopUniversities.com survey of some 2,000 students.

A record 270,000 students received grants to study or train abroad in 2012-13 under the EU student mobility programme Erasmus – more than twice the number of beneficiaries a decade ago, the latest statistics have shown.

Foreign students are dominating the property rental market in prime central London as data reveals that in the last 12 months, 41% of new tenancy starts could be attributed to international students, whose buying power means they can outbid the recession-hit corporate sector.

A damning parliamentary committee report shows that around 19,000 EU and 400,000 English graduates are in arrears on their student loan payments or have no earnings information available, and that the "continued existence" of the student loans system is under threat.

The government-funded German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) published new statistics earlier this week revealing the number of international students in German universities is higher than ever, with one in ten students hailing from overseas (11.3%). For the first time DAAD has also disclosed that around 50% of foreign students remain in the country after graduating.

The British Council has launched an interactive data visualisation tool to illustrate trends in international student mobility and the UK's changing role as both a study destination and source of international students between 1996 and 2012. The tool also reveals the impact of UK policy decisions and global socio-economic events on inbound study.

The influence of outbound study on university students is the subject of the latest benchmark tool developed by market insight firm i-graduate. For the first time the company has tried to measure the effectiveness of short-term study abroad experiences on national, regional and inter-regional levels.

Results from pathway provider INTO’s survey shown exclusively to The PIE News reveal a growing interest in China for study over traditional non-English speaking destinations France and Germany. The company surveyed over 800 education agencies.

The number of diploma seeking foreign secondary students in the US has more than tripled in the last decade and a report commissioned by the Institute of International Education shows more students have clear ambitions to be more competitive in higher education application pools.

Transnational student enrolments do not dent more “traditional” international student flows, according to think tank OBHE. A report it commissioned has found that UK exports of transnational education (TNE) to top host countries has not affected international students headed to institutions in the UK. The survey assesses market activity in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and China.

Foreign languages are in high demand among UK businesses, research has shown, with a particular increase in demand for employees with language skills that give businesses access to fast growing export markets, including Mandarin, Spanish and Arabic. The CBI/Pearson survey uncovers that language learners wield some power in the jobs market.

Australia's higher education sector was responsible for almost 70% of its total international education exports in 2013, data released by the Ministry of Education has shown. International education activity contributed $15 billion to Australia's economy in 2013, up 3.8% on the previous year's $14.5 billion.

Overall international student numbers in New Zealand fell 1.8% in 2013, however pockets of growth in key markets in the second part of the year have left stakeholders feeling optimistic for 2014. PTEs struggled but postgraduate courses continued a growth trajectory.