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Is Germany now moving away from the current country-wide tuition-free model for all students?

25-November-2016 · by Verbalist

University tuition fees are set to be implemented for international students enrolling in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, becoming the first province to move away from the current country-wide tuition-free model for all students. The proposal, led by the state’s Minister for Science, Research and the Arts, Theresia Bauer, is expected to be introduced from the 2017-18 winter semester.

Speaking to StudyTravel Magazine, spokesperson for Baden-Württemberg’s Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Jochen Schönmann, said, “We expect the final tuition fee would be announced within the first quarter of 2017. EU1,500 is a guideline figure.” READ MORE

What are the costs of study for major cities around the world

19-October-2016 · by Verbalist

In the course of examining world markets for student housing and housing investment, global real estate services firm Savills has arrived at an interesting analysis of relative cost of study for major cities around the world.

Let’s first acknowledge that comparing costs of study is always a tricky business. Currency values never stop moving around each other, “apples-to-apples” comparisons among institutions and programmes can be elusive, and some of the sharp differences in costs between major cities and smaller towns often get smoothed out into national averages.

That’s in part what makes the Savills estimates noteworthy. They are focused on larger cities, where international enrollment is often concentrated. They also look exclusively at the relative costs of purpose-built student housing (PBSH), and at the tuition costs for non-specialist STEM degree programmes (e.g., mathematics) at institutions ranked in the top tier of the QS global rankings.

Savills has rendered all of those costs in a common currency – US$ – and has arrived at a summary of average monthly costs of being an international student in 23 major world cities. READ MORE

Top 50 Universities in the World after referring to all the three popular ranking tables

15-October-2016 · by Verbalist

World University Rankings 2016-2017

Rankings are not everything. But, the world university rankings do provide significant information about the standard of a particular university. When it comes to study abroad, almost all international students look up the world university rankings to compare the universities against each other. But, which ranking system is the best; and which league table you should refer to?

According to the recently published Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking, University of Oxford is the No. 1 University in the world for 2016-17. But, last month QS ranking put MIT on the top of the table for 2016-2017. Before that, Harvard University got the coveted position of being the No. 1 University in the Shanghai Ranking, also known as Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

So, which of the three ranking systems is the most reliable one, and which ranking table should be referred by the international students? READ MORE

The British government is considering a system, where visa policy is linked to the quality of the program or institution

13-October-2016 · by Verbalist

The British government is considering further restrictions on student visas in line with its often-stated goal to reduce net migration to the UK. In a 4 October speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that the government will shortly open consultations on student immigration policy.

She also set out a case for two-tiered visa system, where visa policy is linked to the quality of the program or institution: “I’m passionately committed to making sure our world-leading institutions can attract the brightest and the best. But a student immigration system that treats every student and university as equal only punishes those we should want to help.” READ MORE

Important changes to the U.S. International Student Program – Issue of the I-20 for the university-college academic program

13-September-2016 · by Verbalist

As part of our commitment to quality educational experiences, PRODIREKT would like to inform our students and prospective clients of important changes in the SEVP policy. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) now requires international students to meet all admission requirements including English Language proficiency validated by TOEFL or IELS scores.

Colleges and universities may no longer issue Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Non-immigrant Status) with the disclaimer “English Language is not required because it will be taught at the school” for degree programs. These schools can only issue I-20s for degree programs after English proficiency has been confirmed. (If the College or University offers English language training the program must be independent accredited from the academic college degree programs). READ MORE

Great Britain to further tighten UK visa controls and international student visa policy

07-September-2016 · by Verbalist

Prime Minister Theresa May has requested a set of new measures to tighten controls across all visa classes

Reports have been swirling in recent weeks of a further immigration crackdown in the UK. Immigration remains a hot political question in British politics. In the wake of the 23 June “Brexit” referendum on European Union membership, Prime Minister Theresa May has reinforced her government’s commitment to reduce net migration to the UK to 100,000 people per year, from current levels of roughly 330,000 annually.

Prime Minister May reportedly remains committed to tighter visa controls, and to the view that the country’s higher education institutions have become a route into the UK for economic migrants. The Home Office has claimed in the past that as many as one in five foreign students overstays their visas currently, and continues to live in Britain after the conclusion of their studies.

International student visa policy has been specifically targeted for further review as the British government reinforces its commitment to reduce net migration by more than two-thirds of current levels

Early speculation has it that among the options under consideration with respect to student visas are:

constraints on how universities may market post-study work options in the UK;
new measures to ensure that students do not overstay their visas and return to their home countries at the end of their studies; and
tighter controls for students applying to attend lower-ranking institutions.

The actual scope and decisions arising from the review remain to be seen.

Net migration to the UK, 2011-2015. Source: The Telegraph

In a related development, a recent study estimates the economic impact of declining international enrolment at US$1.5 billion to date, and projects total losses in excess of US$10.5 billion by 2016/17.

M.M, Verbalists

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Canadian Immigration Minister wants to significantly expand immigration

17-August-2016 · by Verbalist

John McCallum, Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship wants to significantly expand immigration by attracting more high-skilled workers to meet the country’s growing labour gap. This initiative is one of many developed to promote innovation and grow Canada’s economy.

McCallum will also ease some of the rules to make it easier for international students to come to Canada and become permanent residents.

The Immigration Minister says that before he can ‘substantially increase’ Canada’s immigration levels beyond record levels, he will have to take his plan to cabinet and convince Canadians it’s the right thing to do.

Canada is already seeking to admit between 280,000 and 305,000 new permanent residents in 2016 — a record increase from the 260,000 to 285,000 newcomers the previous Conservative government had planned to welcome by the end of 2015.

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