Europe

France's position as a top study destination for international students is "fragile" and the government must improve internationalisation in universities and the student experience to remain competitive, Higher Education Minister Geneviève Fioraso has claimed. She proposes improving Campus France and post-study work rights among other reforms.

Only 6% of non-EU students thinking about studying in the UK want to emigrate to the country afterwards, a student survey has found. The finding comes just a year after the government controversially curtailed the post-study work rights of overseas students in its drive to lower net migration.

A US-based mobile software developer ModoLabs has launched a new service enabling universities to customise and create their own student recruitment applications for smartphones and tablets. Mobile Admissions was inspired by research that more than 60% of prospective college students are first introduced to a university through a mobile device.

Politicians in Cyprus have called on the government to streamline entry requirements to private higher education institutions, which cater to up to 90% of all non-EU students. They say current student visa obligations are onerous and get in the way of the island's ambitions to become an education hub in the region.

Average students rents are expected to rise by up to 3% in London and 2.75% in the UK's regions in the next 12 months, the property developer Knight Frank has claimed. Driving the trend is a combination of high demand, including from international students, and a shortfall of places in halls which is pushing up rents.

Eleven European universities have collaborated to launch a joint MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform. With support from the European Commission, the initiative is the most comprehensive offering of European MOOCs to date with around 40 courses taught in 12 languages.

The London School of Business & Finance (LSBF) has been awarded the 2013 Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its contribution to UK trade. It is one of the few private higher education institutions to have won the award. The organisation, which delivers programmes worldwide, is also launching a new campus and pathway in Canada.

A record number of language school professionals from across Europe gathered in Dublin last week for the largest ever European Association for Quality Language Services (EAQUALS) conference. The importance of pluralingualism in a globalised world, driving direct business and effective language school management were dominant themes.

China and Italy pledged to strengthen cooperation in education last week in Milan, at the opening ceremony of the Chinese Higher Education Day. There are currently 13,000 Chinese students in Italy and around 4,130 Italian students in China. Officials called for more student exchange and Chinese language teaching.

The UK Council For International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has told The PIE News that the Home Office’s new “credibility interviews” of international students are likely to be fairer than predicted, after a survey revealed serious concerns about them last month. UKCISA believes they will now mainly be used to support rather than dictate visa decisions.

Ireland has launched a scholarship scheme for students from emerging markets in a bid to increase trade ties. Promoting Ireland as a study destination is "a priority area in the government's Action Plan for Jobs 2013," said Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn.

Spanish schools in Spain saw an increase in student weeks and revenue in 2012 according to a survey by the Federacion de Escuelas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (FEDELE) – a peak language school association. Small and medium sized schools saw the most growth.

The University of Strathclyde, Scotland, has partnered with Study Group to run a pathway to its degrees in a bid to increase overseas enrolment at the university. 300 international students are expected to attend the pathway annually by 2016.

The European Commission is considering a fifteen per cent cut to its budget for the Erasmus exchange programme from 2014 to 2020, in the face of demands for austerity cuts among member states—although in real terms it would still represent an increase. At the same time it is pushing for a student loan guarantee scheme to encourage more students to fund their own studies.

Education-travel chain Twin Group has won a bid to run English summer schools for Chinese students in the UK. In March, it beat eight schools to run “drama-focused” English camps for the Guangdong Student Association of Arts and Sports – part of the Education Department of Guangdong Province.