Europe

International students affected by London Metropolitan University's stripping of HTS status will be able to continue their studies from Monday, after a high court ruling last week. The decision comes as London Metropolitan University is granted the right to take legal action against the government via a judicial review for revoking its highly trusted sponsor status last month.

The language learning hub of Malta hosted a major cross-sector ELT conference last week to increase awareness of English language learning across the country, in response to growing competition from rival study destinations. Demand is reported to be slowing, in large part because of the recession.

The UK remains one of the most popular destinations for learning English in the key markets Italy, Turkey and China, according to new reports released by the British Council and English UK today. However, British schools must tackle the challenges these markets pose if they are to retain their edge going forward.

EAIE used its conference to unveil an International Student Mobility Charter. It wants to raise awareness of international students’ rights around the world in response to the growing efforts of universities to increase overseas enrolments.

UK English language school, SNT International in Bournemouth, suddenly closed last week leaving 120 students in the lurch without course or accommodation. Member association English UK has stepped in to ensure the affected students are not left hanging.

The EAIE conference last week took “change” as a starting point, as many European universities try to adjust to a new operating landscape in which funding is being pulled at home, yet demand for overseas has never been higher. 4,300 delegates enjoyed four sunny days in Dublin combining concurrent sessions, exhibition halls, dialogues and networking events as well as outstanding plenary speakers.

A 34% increase in the number of higher education institutions attending the most recent ICEF Higher Education Workshop is testament to the growing interest in building international student recruitment...

Major student website The Student Room has called for a centralised application system to encourage more UK students to study abroad, along with better information on the options available. The call follows a survey which found 72% of students were interested in overseas study but some 86% felt there was not enough information available on their options.

In a letter leaked to the Daily Mail, UK minister for universities, David Willetts has argued that international students should be removed from net migration figures to prevent a dwindling of legitimate students coming to the UK. The revelation puts him at odds with fellow cabinet members who want to slash student visas by 2015.

Hobsons has launched a new Virtual Orientation app in the UK, mainland Europe and the Middle East. The app offers detailed orientation for prospective that is customised and institution-specific. It also announced a new partnership with University of Limerick in Ireland this week.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA has risen to the top of QS's latest global university rankings, unveiled today, with its international faculty one reason for its dominance. The US institution knocked Cambridge University in the UK from the top spot which it had held for two years.

The number of students enrolled in tertiary education outside of their country of origin reached 4.1 million in 2010, according to new research from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development – up from 3.7 million in 2009 and by a staggering 99% since 2000.

A busy networking event between educators and agencies – and information-laden seminars from UKBA and China experts, among others – signified an upbeat international recruitment event in London, UK this week.

Bright World, one of the leading guardianship services for overseas students studying in the UK, has launched a portal enabling parents to keep better track of their children when abroad.

A cross-party parliamentary report has called for international students to be removed from net migration figures, claiming the government’s policy of including them is damaging to the economy. It also calls for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to help the UK expand its share of the "lucrative" student market.