Category: STUDY ABROAD INFO – What’s Buzzing

Study abroad information, tips, student testimonials and other useful information for students attending language programs, high schools and universities abroad

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US government withdraws online study international student ban

US government backtracks on online study international student ban

15 July 2020 – The US government has rescinded its 6 July immigration rule that would effectively have barred international students from entering or remaining in the US if their program of study transitioned to online delivery.

The education sector in the US – along with state governments and other stakeholders – banded together to launch a number of legal actions and it was during one of these lawsuits, launched by Harvard University and MIT, that the repeal of the directive was announced. Close to 200 universities supported MIT and Harvard in their lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security. READ MORE

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Foreign students will no longer be permitted to enter or remain in the US if their study program is online-only

A new US immigration rule will prevent foreign students from entering the United States if their planned program of study transitions to online delivery for the fall 2020 semester. Similarly, students already in the country may be required to depart if their programs move to online instruction.

On 6 July, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a rule change setting out “temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 semester.” READ MORE

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It’s time to learn English and enjoy London and England – our students coming from the travel corridor countries will not be required to self-isolate

03-JUL-2020

We are delighted to confirm that our long-term partner and one of the best British language schools St Giles International will be opening its doors to students from the 13th July 2020! And, the great news doesn’t stop there. Today, the UK Government also announced that from 10 July 2020, passengers arriving from the travel corridor countries will not be required to self-isolate on arrival into England. READ MORE

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How the changes in the landscape of global power and business have affected the importance of various languages

It used to be – and not that very long ago – that the list of most important languages in the world to know would have been quite small. French, English, Spanish, and German would have made the list, plus a handful of others depending on where in Europe and Asia one lived. Accordingly, these were the languages most in demand by students across the world looking to extend their linguistic repertoire beyond their mother tongue either for career or cultural/personal reasons. READ MORE

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UK reintroduces two-year work rights for international students

UK reintroduces two-year work rights for international students

The UK education sector is elated that post-study work rights are set to be offered to international students for two years post-graduation, with students graduating in the 2020/21 academic year set to benefit from this new immigration rule. It was a rule that the education sector had been campaigning hard for, particularly in the last few years, since the same two-year work rights were rescinded in 2012.

Continue reading “UK reintroduces two-year work rights for international students”
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France to increase higher education students by 50% within a decade, but introduces tuition fees for non-EU students

The Prime Minister of France, Edouard Philippe, has unveiled an international education strategy including a target to welcome 500,000 students by 2027, the introduction of tuition fees for non-EU students, an increase in English-taught courses, and more welcoming student visa policies.

The strategy to attract 500,000 higher education students, an increase of approximately 50 per cent within a decade, was introduced by the Prime Minister in a speech this week and is built around three pillars: welcome, fees, and overseas influence.

One of the major changes of the new strategy is the introduction of tuition fees for non-EU students from September 2019. READ MORE

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Two-year accelerated bachelor degrees to be offered in England

The UK Department for Education has announced the expansion of accelerated two-year degree programs for universities in England, following a consultation period.The government said that two-year bachelor degrees would encourage new providers into the market, help students to fast-track their way into the workforce, and create “an unprecedented level of choice and flexibility”.

The UK Department for Education has agreed to a new fee system which will allow providers to charge 20 per cent more per year for domestic/EU students, a fee structure that will provide a saving to students of at least 20 per cent (approximately UK£5,500) for the total cost of a degree, he said. The proposals for courses fees will require parliamentary approval.

The government response to the scheme does not detail course fees for non-EU students. For standard three-year degrees, fees are capped for domestic/EU students, but providers are free to set fees for non-EU students.

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PRODIREKT to promote Masters and MBA student recruitment fairs

A US based education group and academic consultancy PRODIREKT, which also owns the Verbalists Language Network, has partnered with the leading education event organizer Advent Group to promote their Access MBA and Access Masters tours. Access MBA and Access Masters tours represent a series of events that take place in over 55 cities around the world. The tours bring together elite international business schools and high-caliber candidates. READ MORE

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Cultural experience main motivation to study abroad for young learners

A new study from AFS Intercultural Programs provides some fresh insights into the perspective of younger millennials on study abroad.

Mapping Generation Z: Attitudes Toward International Education Programs surveyed 5,255 students in 27 countries between March and December 2016. The survey finds that six in ten Gen Z respondents – that is, those aged 13-to-18 years old – have considered study abroad. With some variation by home country, between 57% and 75% indicated that their main motivation in going abroad was to seek out new cultural experiences. READ MORE

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Fashion schools rankings, London remains to be the fashion capital of the world

Top fashion design schools in the World, Verbalists

WardrobeTrendsFashion announced the 2016 Best Fashion Schools rankings, featuring top-performing fashion institutions in the world. The Best Fashion Schools rankings evaluate data on more than 300+ fashion schools. London has once again dominated the Fashion Schools Rankings, with five schools featuring in the top ten, more than any city in the world.

Best Fashion Design Schools in the WorldLondon’s Central Saint Martins (CSM), takes the No. 1 spot, followed by London College of Fashion at No. 2 and New York based Parsons School of Design at No. 3. All of these schools are comparable in terms of academics, quality of staff, and amazing campuses.

Studying in a world-renowned fashion school is practically everyone’s dream. London has a long history of developing some of the world’s most renowned fashion designers with Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen an example of just some of London’s former students. If you want to follow in the footsteps of Stella McCartney, contact here the Verbalists Language Network and PRODIREKT group and we will help you find the right English and/or fashion course for you.

The following shortlist of 100 top fashion institutions have been ranked according to 3 factors: learning experience, influence, and value. READ MORE

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Increased foreign student enrollment has allowed many US universities to avoid significant cost cuts and additional resident, in-state tuition hikes

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With international students paying up to three times as much in tuition as in-state residents, public research universities in the United States are increasingly turning to foreign student recruitment to offset cuts in state support for higher education.

The number of international students in the US has increased more than 40% in the last decade. In 2015/16, international student enrollment in America surpassed the one-million mark for the first time. With foreign student numbers now at an all-time high, international education has become a big business in the US. NAFSA estimates that international students contributed US$33 billion to the US economy in 2016, while supporting more than 400,000 jobs. READ MORE

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Junior students have become an important growth segment in recent years, especially in Europe

The junior market – that is, students under the age of 18 – has been a growth segment in language travel in recent years. Demand is being driven by a greater emphasis on foreign language learning in markets abroad, and by an increasing interest on the part of parents in boosting their children’s language proficiency. However, the junior segment is also susceptible to economic conditions and other market disruptions and some destinations – notably Canada and the UK – saw a decline in junior numbers in 2015. Overall, the segment appears poised for further growth and development, and consumer demand is shifting to more specialized programs for youth, including courses focused on preparation for academic studies abroad. READ MORE

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English-taught bachelor and master programs has more than tripled in non-English-speaking European countries

A recent study written by Bernd Wächter and Friedhelm Maiworm published by the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) collected survey data from European education institutions to examine their use of programmes taught in English as a tool to increase mobility.

Data collected by ACA in collaboration with the Gesellschaft für Empirische Studien (GES) and StudyPortals BV shows that the number of English-taught bachelor and master programmes – referred to in the study as English-Taught Programmes (ETPs) in non-English-speaking European countries has more than tripled over the last seven years. READ MORE

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

is-germany-moving-away-from-the-current-country-wide-tuition-free-model-for-all-students

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

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

cost-of-study-in-major-cities-verbalists

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

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

world-university-rankings-qs-vs-times-higher-education-vs-arwu

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?

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

The British government is considering a two-tiered visa system13 Oct 2016 – 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

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

studying-in-the-usa-sevp-policy

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

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

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

07 Sep 2016 – 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
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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