UK slashes number of trusted English language testers

Overhaul of English language exams recognised for UK visas favours providers with international availability and tighter security measures.Cream of the crop stay at home ... students in China, like these ones enrolling at an elite Beijing college, could eschew foreign study. Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images

UK immigration authorities have drastically cut the number of language assessment providers they deem suitable to offer tests to demonstrate the English skills of visa applicants.

Last month the UK Border Agency, which controls visa processing, unveiled its revised list of English language tests that will be accepted as part of visa applications to come to the UK to live, work and study.

The new list will come into effect by July for applicants for work visas under the "highly skilled" Tier 1 or "general worker" Tier 2 categories and spouses or civil partners who are applying to join a partner in the UK. The list already applies to students who require visas under the Tier 4 category.

More than 12 providers included since language testing was introduced four years ago as part of the points based visa system have been dropped, with just six remaining. The deleted providers include the Academy of Oriental Cuisine, in Leeds, and the College of Excellence, north-west London.

All categories of visa applicants will use the new list, which indicates the scores required in each of 26 tests that can be used to demonstrate the range of language proficiency levels required under different visa categories.

The UKBA uses language levels defined by the Common European Framework of Reference scales. Spouses or civil partners applying to join partners in the UK will need to demonstrate they have achieved the beginner level A1 in speaking and listening, while students aiming for degree-level study will need to attain an intermediate B2 score.

The UKBA's criteria for selecting test providers for the new list included a requirement that the tests were available in a minimum of 40 countries and they were taken by no fewer than 2,400 candidates per year.

UKBA also asked for evidence of test validity, frequently updated test items and anti-fraud and anti-cheating measures.

But according to a US-based education consultant, the number of international students qualified to apply for study visas to the UK and to other English language higher education destinations could be lower than previously estimated.

Daniel Guhr, of the Illuminate Consulting Group, has developed a forecasting model that he says provides a more detailed prediction of international student movement.

The model assesses 128 variables, including English language test scores and measures of aptitude.

"You start to realise that the pool of students who are academically and linguistically qualified to study at an advanced level of English is actually a lot smaller than most people think," Dr Guhr told The Australian newspaper.

"It's becoming painfully clear that we have a substantial issue with English language capabilities among international students."

Guhr said that more students were using a "pidgin academic English" and that questions about the level of fraud in English language tests, and the academic significance of genuinely good scores, were complicating attempts to forecast student flows.

"If you say there are close to 500,000 students leaving China to study abroad, my question is, how many are truly academically talented," he said.

His team estimate that just over 600,000 Chinese 18-year-olds would have the aptitude and English skills for degree-level study in countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK. While 170,000 were already enrolled abroad, the remainder would be unavailable to recruiters for a range of reasons.

Source: The Guardian

Studying abroad: the foreign offers

As the cost of higher education in the UK spirals, Paul Bray investigates the option of studying for a degree overseas.

Many foreign universities are determined to attract British students

With two-thirds of English universities planning to charge the full £9,000-a-year tuition fee from 2012, it might be years before the undergraduates of tomorrow can afford to leave home — should they secure a place at all. In 2010 more than 200,000 missed out, and thousands more faced the uncertainty of Clearing.

If all this makes you wonder whether it’s worth the effort, you’re not alone. More than 20,000 British students each year are taking their chances abroad. In addition, around 17,000 study or work abroad as part of their degree at a British institution.

According to a study published last year for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the primary reason for studying abroad was to attend a top-class university. Sixteen of the world’s top 20 universities are in North America, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2010-11.

Three of the remaining four are British, while Hong Kong is at 21, and Tokyo, Singapore and Melbourne rank above Edinburgh. In Europe, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Göttingen and Munich universities, the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and two of France’s grandes écoles all outrank Bristol University. Trinity College Dublin is above York and Durham, while Zurich and Lund are on a par with or surpass Southampton.

“If you want to study a subject such as medicine, veterinary science or architecture, for which places in the UK are particularly competitive, an overseas opportunity becomes even more attractive,” says Prof Allan Findlay, the BIS report’s co-author.

Almost any subject may now be oversubscribed at top British universities, and even three As at A-level may not be enough to guarantee a place.

From 2012, money will become another major driver. Although a degree at an Ivy League university in the States will set you back more than £20,000 a year, studying at many European universities remains virtually free — one of the benefits of EU membership.

»JOB SATISFACTION

Those who have studied abroad tend to get better degrees and earn higher salaries, and their experience gives them a leg up the career ladder. According to the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE), many British students don’t appreciate how the world of global graduate recruiting has changed. Multinational businesses want globally aware graduates. On every level, from planning and problem-solving to assertiveness and initiative, international students outshine their stay-at-home cousins, says the CIHE.

“People blossom when they study abroad,” confirms Beatrice Merrick, director of services and research at the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). “It’s more challenging than going to a local university and you experience new ways of studying, as well as a different working culture.”

Many foreign universities are determined to attract British students, with American, German and Dutch institutions mounting high-profile recruitment drives. “Increasing diversity in the classroom improves the learning experience for all students, and there is an element of ‘soft diplomacy’: people who know your country and become informal ambassadors for you,” says Merrick.

Courses are often taught in English — not so much for the benefit of Britons as for students from the Far East — and universities may feel that English-speaking students act as an informal seal of approval.

Britons who study abroad are usually satisfied with the quality of tuition they receive, although there can be more emphasis on rote-learning and less on independent thought. The so-called Bologna Process has helped to standardise degrees across Europe, meaning that a foreign degree is more likely to be accepted and understood by UK employers.

»TAKE THE INITIATIVE

Anyone wanting to do their entire degree abroad must show initiative and approach universities individually as there is no equivalent of the UCAS system. The Times Higher Education rankings are a good starting point for creating a shortlist.

“We’re a kind of ‘FTSE 100’ for universities, and we use 13 indicators to give a really strong indication of each university in the round,” says Phil Baty, the rankings’ editor. Indicators range from published research, citations and reputation among other academics, to teaching excellence, student/staff ratios and the proportion of international students.

The alternative is to spend time abroad (usually half of or one academic year) while studying at a UK university. The most popular route is through the EU-funded Erasmus programme, which embraces all the EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Croatia and Turkey. Students can study or do a work placement, such as teaching English in a school. Study must be related to their degree and counts as part of their course.

“When undergraduates study for part of their degree abroad, it’s usually through an existing relationship between institutions, so it’s something students should think about before applying to university,” says David Hibler, Erasmus programme manager at the British Council, which administers the scheme in the UK.

"While studying abroad may be an exciting proposition for students, it can be a wrench for parents. Thankfully, the internet and Skype are making it increasingly easy to stay in touch.

As Beatrice Merrick concludes, “Students could be getting better-value education and a qualification that really makes them stand out. And they’ll be too far away to bring their washing home.”

Student checklist

It’s easy to get carried away with the idea of an exciting new life in a different country. If you’re heading abroad, consider the following:

• Does your degree count here? It sounds obvious, but, especially for vocational subjects such as law or medicine, find out if your course counts in the UK.

• Triple-check the budget: count hidden extras such as trips home from Italy, local council taxes or the price of beer in Norway. A pound may buy you less next year, so if you’re funded in sterling make the necessary allowances.

• Look into health insurance: few countries offer free healthcare, like the NHS, so you may need to buy private health insurance, especially in the US.

• Immigration issues: sort out your visa — even within the EU there may be formalities, such as having a passport with two years’ validity remaining.

• Where to stay? Where you stay in the first year, and how much it costs, will have an impact on how happy you are, so explore options early on.

• Sort out currency: for most, a bank account in the country of study is the easiest choice, but you may need proof of address to open one, so a sterling account could be a stop-gap. Check charges for international card payments and transfers.

• Prepare for red tape: make sure you have documents such as birth certificates, keep multiple copies of everything and get plenty of passport photos.

• Stay in touch: sign up for Skype and upgrade roaming on your mobile. In the long run, however, it will work out cheaper to get a local contract.

This article was taken from the Daily Telegraph's Studying Abroad supplement, published on May 14 2011

Studying abroad: how to apply

What you need to consider if you want to study in the US, Europe. Australia or Asia.

Admissions and entry criteria for overseas institutions vary enormously from those in the UK - so do your homework Photo

»UNITED STATES

Studying in the US has long been popular with British students looking to expand their horizons or set themselves apart in the job market. The tuition-fee price hikes in the UK have simply fuelled the momentum. “There will continue to be a cap on UK university places and tuition rates will rise to a level that is not far off that of the US,” says Lauren Welch, head of advising at the Fulbright Commission.

The admissions timeline is similar to the UK’s, with applications due in January, although many universities offer earlier deadlines in October or November. US universities require SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) examination scores as part of your application, which means you will need to register for the test through the SAT College Board website immediately after deciding on America as your choice of study destination.

According to Welch, the US academic system offers something for UK students from all educational backgrounds. “Ivy League universities will want to see good A-level results, but students with other qualifications can still apply to many other institutions.”

Most universities allow applications via their websites but you may be up against other UK (and non-UK) applicants who will be guided through the necessary forms, exams and interview preparation by their school or college tutors. Help of this kind is also available through Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.

RESOURCES

• The College Board (001 212 713 7789; www.collegeboard.org;www.sat.collegeboard.com/register)

• Fulbright Commission (0845 894 9524; www.fulbright.co.uk)

• Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions (020 7930 3130; www.kaptest.co.uk)

• US University Search (www.usuniversities.com)

»EUROPE

As an EU national you have a right to live and study in any other EU country on the same basis as nationals of that country, paying the same level of university fees as local applicants. Check the European Union Lifelong Learning Programme, which includes the higher education sub-programme Erasmus, offering financial support for students spending 24 weeks or more studying abroad.

Candidates should apply directly to their institution of choice, with submissions usually required in the first few months of the year you intend to begin your studies. For France the deadline is January, for Germany it is January or July, for Italy it is April and for Spain it is June or December, although timings can vary between institutions (see the Study in Europe website for more information).

Before you calculate the considerable potential savings of studying in an EU country, make sure you take into account the language of instruction. Although more courses are becoming available in English, they are still less common compared to the number that are offered in the native language. To study in Germany, for example, you normally have to prove your proficiency in German by passing one of two nationally recognised language tests: the DSH or the TestDaF.

RESOURCES

• Campus France

• Erasmus (0161 957 7755; www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus)

• European Commission — Education & Training (www.ec.europa.eu/education/study-in-europe)

• Study in Europe

»AUSTRALIA

If you’re considering a university Down Under, established education agents provide a popular and time-saving means of helping UK students through the application process, giving assistance with enrolment and visas.

Most agents do not charge for this service, collecting a commission from the chosen education provider instead. Education agents who have completed the Education Agent Training Course (EATC) provided by Pier Online are listed on their website.

“The application process requires far less legwork than the US system,” says Sarah Nash, director of Study Options, the official UK and Irish representative of Australian and New Zealand universities. “You won’t need to take extra exams — a good set of A-level results will suffice in terms of qualifications.” Given the distances involved, there is no formal interview process, although applicants for specialist subjects such as medicine may well be interviewed on Skype or by phone.

Most universities share the same academic year. Studies usually start in February and last until November, with students enjoying December and January as their holiday months. The final deadline is about two-and-a-half months before the start date, although Nash recommends that students start thinking about their application a year in advance.

RESOURCES

• Education agents (00 61 7 3832 7699; www.pieronline.org)

• Study in Australia

• Study Options (020 7353 7200; www.studyoptions.com)

»ASIA

The region boasts several of the world’s most highly respected universities, including China’s Peking University, Kyoto University in Japan, and Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea. In each case your best bet is to approach individual institutions directly.

Application deadlines and start dates vary. In China and Singapore you need to apply by June for a September start date, although individual courses have a corresponding application deadline. In South Korea, the main intake of students is in March or September each year, with application deadlines of September to November, and May to June respectively.

A small number of scholarships are available to prospective UK students through the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) for study in selected Commonwealth countries, including Singapore and India. Funding — covering travel, tuition fees, insurance and a monthly allowance — is also available from Erasmus Mundus.

RESOURCES

• China’s University and College Admission System (CUCAS) (00 86 10 82865135; www.cucas.edu.cn)

• Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (020 7380 6700;cscuk.dfid.gov.uk)

• Erasmus Mundus (029 2092 4311; www.britishcouncil.org)

• UK Council for International Student Affairs (020 7107 9922;www.ukcisa.org.uk)

This article was taken from the Daily Telegraph's Studying Abroad supplement, published on May 14 2011

Studying abroad: US in a league of its own

Think US universities are elitist and prohibitively expensive? Think again. The States can open doors, says Chris Alden.

The Old Well at the heart of the UNC campus

Which country is the number one foreign-study destination? A glance at the upper reaches of the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings is all you need to find your answer. Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), California Institute of Technology (Caltech): there are no fewer than seven US institutions in the top 10, and 21 in the top 30, so it’s little wonder that the US is popular with British students.

“I think students realise that going to the US says something about them,” says Lauren Welch, head of advising at the Fulbright Commission, which represents American universities in the UK. In a recent survey, 91 per cent of British students cited the quality of universities as a reason for choosing the US.

But when it comes to studying Stateside, it’s not all about household names. Many world-class institutions in the US are not well known in Britain, but thanks to a less specialised curriculum, the US can be the right place if you want to expand your horizons rather than narrow your study options.

Lorna Morris, a first-year student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, chose to apply to the US because she was having difficulty finding a British course that suited her needs. “I was doing my A-levels and I really didn’t know what I wanted to study,” says Morris, who is from Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. “I applied in the UK for history — but was sure I didn’t want to do only one subject and I couldn’t find courses that exactly matched what I wanted to do.”

For Morris, the liberal arts curriculum at UNC Chapel Hill means she doesn’t have to declare her “major”, or main area of study, until the end of her first year. In the meantime she has taken classes ranging from psychology to languages to politics.

Her options have expanded in ways she could not have predicted. “I am officially undeclared, but I think I’m going to [major in] African studies and history, or African studies and politics. I’m also considering a linguistics minor,” she explains.

Even if you know what you’re going to study, the US system can provide opportunities beyond the main curriculum. Amy Guyomard, originally from Jersey, always knew she wanted to study mathematics and is considering a career in finance. But as a second-year student at MIT, she hopes to take classes in creative writing. “That’s unheard of in the UK if you’re doing mathematics,” she says.

For those who want a more gradual assimilation into the system, innovative options are available. For example, the International Gateway Program at Florida State University allows students to complete the first year of their US undergraduate degree at one of Florida State University’s international locations (London, Florence, Valencia, Panama City). Upon successful completion of the year, they then transfer to the USA for the remainder of their degree. During the first year, students are guided through the process of obtaining a US student visa and taking the SAT in preparation for the transfer to Tallahassee.

For many, of course, the biggest thing to consider when studying in the US is money. Add living and travel expenses to tuition fees, and the cost is usually high. But don’t dismiss the idea as being unaffordable too quickly as money is out there, according to Welch, with one in three international students in the US relying on scholarships or the university itself as a primary source of funding.

“Consider funding while choosing a university — different institutions have alternative finance streams available. If you want to go for merit scholarships, for example, you need to apply to institutions that regard you as a top student,” she explains.

“If it’s needs-based aid that you feel you’d qualify for, many of the top private institutions have large endowments.”

Both Morris and Guyomard count themselves fortunate to be receiving help with funding. When applying to UNC, Morris applied for and won a Morehead-Cain scholarship, a celebrated merit-based award that fully funds her life at university. At MIT, Guyomard receives needs-based aid.

“Check beforehand,” advises Guyomard. “I blindly applied to MIT and Harvard, but it wasn’t until afterwards that I realised I was going to be really fortunate to get financial aid.” Not many US institutions offer needs-based aid to international students, but MIT is one of them.

There are differences in the application process, too. Because you apply to the university rather than an academic department, the interview will focus more on your life outside academia. There’s also no centralised application system, and you may need to take SATs, the college admissions tests, or the high-school tests known as ACTs.

Morris says students shouldn’t be put off applying to the US. “Initially, there seems to be a lot to do: you have to fill out application forms and sit SATs and the whole process seems expensive and daunting. But it’s actually much more accessible than it first appears.”

Sister act

Arriving at an overseas campus can be confusing enough, so when you start hearing about single-sex societies named after letters of the Greek alphabet, you might be tempted to dismiss them. But although fraternities and societies with names like Phi Beta Kappa or Epsilon Mu Upsilon may sound intimidating, they’re a way to get involved in US campus life.

Fraternities and sororities get a bad rap in the media — from John Belushi portraying an undergraduate monster in the Seventies film Animal House, to real stories of illegal “hazing” — or initiation practices — that occasionally emerge. But according to Lauren Welch of the Fulbright Commission, the Greek system is in fact built around a philanthropic mission, with service to the campus or community at its heart.

By attending the meet-and-greets known as “rushes”, you can decide whether a fraternity or sorority is for you — and vice versa — so you are “matched” to an appropriate society.

Amy Guyomard, 20, from Jersey, is very happy with her decision to join the Pi Beta Phi sorority at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “For me, as an international student, it seemed like a great idea,” she says. “Often I have no clue what people are talking about, so I go over to my sorority friends and ask them to translate for me’.”

And they weren’t even speaking Greek.

This article was taken from the Daily Telegraph's Studying Abroad supplement, published on May 14 2011

New Zealand boosts promotion of education to foreign students

New Zealand is almost doubling the amount of money it spends promoting its education system to foreign students.

The new international education agency would have a budget of 84 million NZ dollars (68.01 million U.S. dollars) over four years, almost double the amount allocated to its predecessors, the government announced Thursday.

Most of the extra money would be directed towards marketing when the agency began operating on Sept. 1, Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said in a statement.

The figure compared to the 44 million NZ dollars that was previously split across the Ministry of Education, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and the Education New Zealand trust, said the statement.

Joyce said the big increase recognized the very significant contribution that international education made to New Zealand's economic growth, and its potential to contribute further over the next 15 years and beyond.

"International education contributes at least 2.3 billion (NZ) dollars to our economy. It supports about 32,000 jobs. And the sale of our education expertise overseas is estimated to be worth at least 100 million (NZ) dollars annually," he said.

The new funding would be used for strategic promotion abroad and building on bilateral education relationships with key trading and education partner countries and regions.

"As the industry moves to recover from the Christchurch earthquake, this extra funding will help reassure students that New Zealand is a safe place to get an education," said Joyce.

"The extra funding, together with the merging of the efforts of the three agencies, will provide a much sharper focus in our national-level international education marketing and representation. I'm expecting higher visibility and better value for money."

The new agency was announced last month when the country was still counting the cost of the Feb. 22 Christchurch earthquake, which killed 181 people, including a number of foreign students.

Source: Xinhua

Thousands of educators to gather in Vancouver for conference

Thousands of educators and entrepreneurs from around the world will gather next week in Vancouver to discuss the latest trends in international education.

The annual conference of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators will feature sessions on a variety of topics, including the impact of international learning on a globalized world, the flow of international students, recruitment practices, academic ethics across cultures and the future of higher education.

Plenary speakers include Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of the comic book series The 99, which features superheroes inspired by Islam, and Anand Sudarshan, chief executive officer of Manipal Education, a leader in education and health-care in India.

Also featured during a session on entrepreneurship are Hammad Hammad, whose nonprofit organization provides academic, athletic and arts education to Palestinian refugee youth in the West Bank, Kristin Hayden, founder of a global leadership program for underserved high school students and Jessica Lax, who established an organization to train cycling theatre troupes to promote global change through consumer choices.

More than 8,000 people from 100 countries are expected to attend the four-day conference, which starts Tuesday. It's billed as the world's premier meeting, networking and learning opportunity for those engaged in international education.

Almost 200,000 international students studied in Canada in 2008, contributing $6.5 billion to the economy, according to the federal government.

Source: The Vancouver Sun

Australian universities calls for student visa assessment changes

Australian universities are calling for visa restrictions for foreign students to be eased after figures revealed that there has been a significant drop in student arrivals from India and China.

These two countries have been the main source of students arriving in Australia in recent years but a drop in numbers means that self-funding universities could struggle financially.

Universities Australia, the national organisation that represents all 39 of the country’s universities, has suggested that restrictions should be eased for students from these two countries in particular.

In its submission on the future of the student visa system, the organisation says that students from these countries are facing an ‘extraordinary burden’ in terms of standards for student visa assessment. They come under Assessment Level three and four which are proving too stringent because of the amount of finance that is demanded.

‘Broadly, the extraordinary burden placed on high quality university students from Assessment Level 3 and 4 countries, particularly in terms of financial proof, is critically prohibitive to the ongoing sustainability of the international education industry,’ the submission says.

It warns that the situation ‘threatens our competitiveness internationally and potentially restricts Australian universities from attracting high quality international students from Assessment Level 3 and 4 countries’.

The submission also says that recent changes to skilled migration policy have left a high level of uncertainty and unpredictability surrounding international graduate work entitlements.

‘Universities Australia strongly asserts that a calibrated and clear solution to graduate work entitlements will strengthen the international education sector and provide important gains to Australia’s national interest whilst not compromising the integrity of Australia’s migration programme,’ it explains.

‘Universities Australia urges the Government to address this issue as matter of high priority.

Universities Australia believes that these two key elements, properly integrated with the specific recommendations listed below, will help to ensure the long term sustainability of the international education sector,’ it adds.

‘Universities Australia would welcome the Department of Immigration and Citizenship taking a more fine-tuned approach to current visa threshold requirements, in particular financial aspects, that takes account of cultural and regional differences,’ it concludes.

The Australian education sector is a multi billion-dollar industry that depends to a great extent on fee income from Indian and Chinese students.

During the 2009/10 fiscal year, 270,499 student visas were granted. There are 382,710 student visa holders in the country as of 30 June 2010. Of this number, 80,450 were Indian students, 80,010 were Chinese students and 21,720 were from South Korea.

Source: ExpatForumdotcom