Latest international education news

Academies Australasia Group, one of Australia's oldest private education companies, has successfully acquired all or part of two more education institutions – expanding its stable of eight colleges in Australia and one in Singapore up to 10. This includes the acquisiton of Melbourne-based language college Discover English for AUS$190,000.

Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) in the west of Ireland has signed a landmark deal with Yangtze University in Jingzhou, China, that will see up to 120 students a year travelling to Ireland to complete studies in civil engineering and construction management.

A Premium Account Management Service and the prospect of online applications for UK-based student visa submissions are among the UKBA service updates on the horizon for the UK's Tier 4 student visa sponsors, as outlined at the Study UK 2012 annual conference last week in London.

The British Council is celebrating the spectacular success of its Facebook page aimed at English language learners in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Teachers are among those accessing the free resources distributed via social media channels.

The latest survey of business trends among language schools and education agencies by ALTO has revealed mixed business fortunes among those canvassed about their Q3 results. UK-based language schools cited a drop in business; agencies in Colombia, Turkey, Nigeria and Russia were very upbeat about Q4 (although 42% of Spanish companies took a dim view).

The US House of Representatives last week voted to make 55,000 more green cards available to foreign students graduating in the USA with advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees. But opponents, including NAFSA, believe it will not pass the Senate.

Languages Canada and the Italian Association of Language Consultants and Agents (IALCA) have announced a collaboration agreement that may build student exchange to Canada as well as uphold high standards in language teaching and exchange.

The UK's Office of National Statistics will separate student immigration figures from net migration figures in its presentation of results from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) in August 2013. The news comes after net migration to the UK was reported to be down by a quarter to March 2012, with foreign students the main reason for this.

In a sign that demand for US education will remain strong this year in China, the number of Chinese taking the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is expected to exceed 40,000 this year – up from 20,000 in 2010 and just 200 in 2003. Most of the top US universities require a candidate to have an SAT score. The number of Chinese students at US universities climbed 23% this year.

The UKBA is not focused on opportunities for Scotland. It's focused very narrowly on an agenda set by the coalition government which is really focused on what it perceives are the needs of the South East of England. We would like to have a different approach.

Australia has joined a growing list of countries looking to tap the burgeoning Indonesian student market, holding a major exhibition to promote its science education. Australia is Indonesia's number one study destination (with 17,896 enrolments in 2011) but faces competition overseas.

It appears the UK is not the only country closely scrutinising the activities of overseas recruiters—this month four private tertiary education providers in New Zealand had their right to recruit abroad suspended after failing to meet basic obligations to their overseas students.

Non-EU applications to British universities at undergraduate level have fallen for the first time in six years in a further sign that the government’s visa regime is starting to deter students at tertiary level. UCAS figures up to mid November show early applications for 2013 down by 0.8%, when applications recieved at this point last year were up 11%.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a major new project combining the research efforts of US and foreign universities to provide solutions for the developing world. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton Clinton hailed the project as a new approach to development which could lead to "positive outcomes for millions".