A recent report released by the United Kingdom’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service or UCAS revealed that there was a 47% increase among Nigerian students who applied to UK universities. The number stood at 2,380 compared to 1,620 in 2021. Other key markets for international education also showed growth trends, including China and India with 12.1% and 11% increase respectively.
K-BOUND NIGERIANS MAY UP BY 47%, IRELAND’S RECRUITING ADVANTAGE, POSSIBLE US STARTUP VISA, AND MORE ON INTL ED
Note From the Editor
The first quarter of the year is just a month short, but signs of it being different from the past two years of the pandemic are beginning to show up, especially in the international education sector. For instance, the United Kingdom observed a rise in Nigerian applicants who want to study in the UK, while Ireland enjoyed word-of-mouth recommendations that have brought in more Indian students. Meanwhile, in the United States, a possible startup visa is deemed not only to accelerate the US in the race for further science and tech innovations, but may positively impact US-bound STEM foreign students as well. Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, on the other hand, are gearing up to welcome a growing number of foreign travelers, including global learners, as these countries with the strictest border control and safety protocols are starting to ease up restrictions.
Nigerian Applicants to UK Universities Increase by 47% – Report
A recent report released by the United Kingdom’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service or UCAS revealed that there was a 47% increase among Nigerian students who applied to UK universities. The number stood at 2,380 compared to 1,620 in 2021. Other key markets for international education also showed growth trends, including China and India with 12.1% and 11% increase respectively.
Word-Of-Mouth Recommendations Bring Indian Students To Ireland: Irish Ambassador
According to Brendan Ward, Ireland’s Ambassador in India, word-of-mouth recommendations from former students is one of Ireland’s biggest recruiting advantages. Additionally, Ward stated that Indian students make up about four percent of the total global learners studying in this European country. The ambassador further explained that nearly 5,000 Indian students were studying in Ireland in 2019 and the numbers have been steadily rising at about 10 percent annually.
How the New Startup Visa for STEM Experts Can Help Indians
As the United States House of Representatives recently passed the “America COMPETES Act” that introduces a startup visa, foreign citizens in STEM fields – including international student graduates of a US college or university – may soon receive green cards with less fear of being denied. Under the “America COMPETES Act,” an unlimited number of green cards can be issued to foreign citizens in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As of writing, the House and Senate are still working on the legislation before submitting it to President Joe Biden to sign it into law.
Three Canadian Colleges Shut Down, Advisory for Indian Students in a Spot
As three colleges in Quebec, Canada abruptly close, thousands of Indian students lean on the Indian High Commission in Ottawa. The High Commission had responded by being in touch with Canada’s federal government, the provincial government in Quebec and had representatives from Canada’s Indian community administer support to the affected students.
Hurdles Remain For Australia’s Tourism And Education Sectors Despite Border Reopening
Higher education institutions in Australia were delighted as the country’s border reopened, allowing foreign students to arrive just in time for the beginning of the new academic year. Recently, nearly 13,500 foreign students arrived in Australia. Despite the relaxation of strict border control, essential travel requirements still remain and some challenges are still present that, hopefully, will slowly ease up as more foreign nationals are expected to be welcomed in the coming months.
‘Waiting Anxiously’: International Students Hoping To Study in NZ Still in Limbo
According to Shelley Robertson, manager of international education policy at the Ministry of Education, the visa processing for international students will be open beginning on April 12, 2022. Their arrival is expected to begin in July. Meanwhile, Regional Director of Asia at Educational New Zealand Ben Burrowes professed optimism that the international education sector in the country will build back the lost ground to competitor countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Due to the long strict border control imposed by the NZ government, some aspiring global learners decided to look for other countries to study.
