The number of international students studying in New Zealand is back on an incline and in fact, 2014 full year figures hit a 10-year high, according to newly released statistics.
Student numbers were up by 13% in 2014 compared with the previous year – the first actual increase recorded since 2010, with Indian students showing the biggest growth in enrolments, up by a major 67%.
The New Zealand International Education Snapshot, released by Education New Zealand, shows that the total number of international students studying in the country in 2014 reached 110,198, the highest it has been since 2004.
“The future focus of NZ Inc and the industry is to ensure that there is sustainable and targeted quality growth”
International education is now worth NZ$2.85bn to the economy a year, an increase of $258m from 2012/13.
The source country with the biggest growth in the number of students was India, which saw 8,135 more students come to study in New Zealand last year.
Ravi Lochan Singh, managing director of education consultancy company in India, Global Reach, said that the growth in Indian students going to New Zealand is huge, but not necessarily healthy.
“The bulk of the increase has been in PTE [private training establishments], and largely due to the loophole that allowed students to be able to secure visa without even having taken an English proficiency test,” he told The PIE News.
“This particular loophole has been now plugged but to be effected only from later this year. Thus we can continue to see the increase in numbers from India for the next couple of months.”
In addition, 3,253 more Chinese students came to study in New Zealand – an increase of 12%, with 805 more students from the Philippines and good growth also from Thailand.
“There are now more international students developing a deeper understanding of New Zealand and making connections with New Zealanders,” said Tertiary Education Minister, Steven Joyce.
“Not only that, studying alongside students from Shanghai to São Paulo helps prepare Kiwi students for work in an increasingly globalised world.”
ENZ attributes the rise in Indian students in part to a change in rules on work rights in 2013 as well as “an increase in momentum” in-market.
“The future focus of NZ Inc and the industry is to ensure that there is sustainable and targeted quality growth for all international education industry sectors from the Indian market,” it stated.
The private training establishment (PTE) sector, largely providing vocational education, showed the biggest growth, displaying an increase of 22.6%. Excluding English language schools, the growth in intake across PTEs was bigger still at 37%.
Much of the growth in Indian enrolments was in the PTE sector along with the ITP (institutes of technology and polytechnics) sector.
There were also “record high levels” of postgraduate enrolments in the publicly-funded tertiary sector, no doubt linked to NZ’s generous scholarships for PhD students.
“The launch and promotion of New Zealand’s “Think New” education brand in 2013 and the delivery of the brand through global digital marketing campaigns during 2014 has been a key catalyst for the rise in awareness and active consideration of New Zealand by international students,” the report states.
Despite the all-round good news, some source countries recorded a decrease: South Korea displayed the biggest decline with 532 fewer students than in 2013, consistent with the country’s falling outbound student mobility.
There was also a decrease of 247 Malaysian students in the country last year. The report attributes this decline to Malaysia becoming a “competitor market”.
New Zealand already has a goal to increase the value of its international education sector to $5bn by 2025.
There were also “record high levels” of postgraduate enrolments in the publicly-funded tertiary sector
The government also announced last week that it will provide NZ$376,325 of co-funding for the international education sector for 10 new initiatives. Institutions and businesses can apply for this co-funding for up to $50,000.
Recipients include the University of Otago, which is building a Malaysian partnership and an international school programme for US and European study abroad programmes, and BIOZONE International Ltd, which is developing a digital platform for high school biology resources.
The fund, which was established in 2013 and is administered by Education New Zealand, supports new programme developments and the country’s education technology sector, as well as helping with sector growth through international opportunities.