The market for international higher education is substantial

According to an OECD report from last year (but containing data upto 2012), “Asia is the source for more than half of today’s internationally mobile students (53%), with China, India, and South Korea the main source countries.” Even though the source countries for international higher education student mobilisation may remain the same in 2015, the distribution of higher education students to destination countries in numbers and percentages based on university and college admissions have changed.

In other words, student demand for international higher education is changing. Recent reports from the US and the UK suggest a serious decline in university admissions from international students – a trend visible from 2013. Australia, which had suffered a similar decline a couple of years ago, seems to have recovered by making conscious changes to their university admissions, visa and employment policies. The Australian government seems to have given its full support.

Image courtesy http://monitor.icef.com/

Although the US still remains the biggest attraction for students from China, India and other developing economies, followed by the UK (still an Indian favourite), countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand are showing increased eagerness to win over international students for their universities and colleges. Somewhat behind are countries like France, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan, and a few others. The federal governments of these countries are taking an active interest. Higher education is becoming an export sector for them. Hence, all these countries are stepping up their student recruitment efforts and channels.

They are building stronger relationships with developing economies and formulating their own national higher education strategies for international students. They are encouraging their universities and colleges to (a) develop courses and programmes which are more globally relevant, (b) set up student support services to ease student-university interactions, (c) reach out and market themselves to international students in their own countries and institutions, (d) recruit students through education and counselling agencies, (e) offer attractive scholarships, and (f) create multicultural student and social communities to welcome and engage international students.

And why not? The market for international higher education is quite substantial. In an article in Forbes magazine last month, titled How The U.S. Can Capture The $170B Opportunity In International Higher Education, Allison Williams (an Analyst at University Ventures), quoting Ryan Craig, author of College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education, writes:

Consider the following: Education is Australia’s largest services “export” sector, contributing $13.5 billion to the Australian economy, or roughly 1 percent of GDP… If the United States was able to generate 1 percent of GDP from the export of online programs, that’s $170 billion or about 7 times the current U.S. higher education “export market” (i.e., international students studying stateside). It would represent a 30 percent increase in the overall higher education market.

In theory, in a purely online world, the potential could be much larger than Australia’s 1 percent. American universities could compete with every Asian university for every Asian student—not simply for those willing to travel abroad. In practice, as average tuition per online student would be much lower than what Chinese students are paying today in Australia, 1 percent is a reasonable target and would make higher education America’s largest export, ahead of agriculture and entertainment.

[Citation: OECD releases detailed study of global education trends for 2014, OECD, 17 September 2014; How The U.S. Can Capture The $170B Opportunity In International Higher Education, Allison Williams, Forbes Magazine, July 21, 2015.]

US undergrad admissions for Indian students, Part 2

[This is the second part of a 2-part article. You can read part 1 here.]

Seeking admission to a US college requires resilience. Rejection of applications becomes a part of life. Although foreign education counsellors can and do help, and parents provide support, the effort is still yours. A lot of homework is necessary – researching courses, colleges, campuses, cities/towns, eligibilities, fees, available financial aid, and so on. The choice can be endless. You need to narrow down your options to a list of colleges. Since these colleges usually have an application fee, you’ll need to set a limit for yourself.

A good idea is to have 9-10 colleges in your list: (a) 3 preferred colleges – i.e. the ones that you want to go to but may not get in; (b) 3 medium grade colleges that you’re fairly confident of getting in; and (c) 3 or 4 colleges that you know for sure you will get in. You can narrow this down further to a shortlist based on online rankings, suggestions from past students, foreign education counsellors, friends, and homework on specific colleges, their faculty and facilities in your subject of choice.

Most US colleges require you take the SAT and the SAT II (Subject Tests); so you have to do that. The SAT is usually completed when you’re in the 11th standard, and the SAT II (usually about two or three subject tests out of a choice of Bio, Chem, Physics, World History, American History, English Lit, Math etc) can be done in the 12th standard. This means, admissions to an undergrad program requires almost 2 years of thinking and preparation. Hence, start thinking about it right after your 10th standard exams are over. Ideally, even earlier.

Image courtesy voiceofasiaonline.com

This 2-year preparation includes approximately 9 months of research for colleges and application submissions for admission. Since US college/university intakes are twice in the year – Spring (end-February) and Fall (end-August) – to seek admission in, say, the Fall session (e.g. end-August 2016), you should start your research ideally in December the year before (in this case December 2015). To apply, most colleges use the Common Application (find information on the Common Application at http://www.commonapp.org/). This involves one main application for all the colleges. Some colleges also require detailed secondary ‘supplement’ applications. Most of the processes are done online.

If you’re applying for financial aid, the process differs from college to college. You have to fill out several forms detailing your (actually your parent’s) assets and liabilities in order to justify your reasons for your application seeking financial aid. This process is time-consuming and tedious.

The majority of your time, of course, will be spent on the essays. You’ll have to write them, edit them and re-edit them several times. For the ‘personal statement’, simply Google ‘Statement of Purpose’ (SoP) on the internet to find examples of SoPs as well as advice on how to write them. Don’t be afraid to seek help from past students, your teachers and counsellors to get the SoP right – or, to do the best job you can on it – as it’s certainly going to be a deciding factor on your admission. Make the effort to customise it if you’re seeking admissions to different programs or colleges to get an edge over other students and their essays.

Then, go ahead and apply to the colleges – and wait to hear back. If all goes well, you will find out by April of the year about your admission for the Fall session. Later, information on scholarships and financial aid will come in. It’s always a good idea to negotiate with colleges about raising the amount of your financial aid by saying something like, “I really want to come here, but College XYZ has offered me more aid.” Sometimes, this strategy may get the college you’re interested in to increase your financial aid a bit more. This is just a suggestion, not a full-proof plan.

So, if you’re keen on that foreign education, go for it. Start your search now! And, good luck!

US undergrad admissions for Indian students, Part 1

This blog post is by no means the most accurate narrative on admissions to US colleges for an undergrad program – i.e. a Bachelor’s degree after completing 12^th standard in an Indian school. We’re simply taking you through a likely scenario or a road map.

The admissions process differs from person to person, situation to situation. If you’re fortunate enough to be a student in one of India’s more evolved schools (or junior colleges), your school counsellors will guide you and provide you with as much information as they have at hand. They can also help you in writing your admissions/application essays. Unlike admissions to Indian colleges, admissions to US colleges/universities is no cake walk. It requires a single-minded pursuit of what you want as a student – but, finally, accept the best that you can get.

In some cases, representatives from US colleges/universities will visit your schools and colleges to make presentations. These presentations normally focus on how good these colleges are in reputation and ranking, departments and faculty, labs and facilities, recreational activities and campus life – and how they welcome international students and encourage a multicultural learning environment. In the US, it’s a common practice to invite students and their parents on a tour of the campus. For colleges and universities, attracting students for admissions is as much about marketing a brand as it is about education.

Image courtesy archive.financialexpress.com

Your schools and colleges may also host meetings with and presentations by foreign education counsellors. These foreign education counsellors normally represent several colleges and universities, and can guide you to a college which is likely to be your best choice/option considering your career goal, your subject of study, your academic performance and eligibility, and your financial means to fund your education in the US. Scholarships are hard to come by at undergrad level, so the means to finance your education is critical to your admission. Even in the US, the cost of education and education loans for a college education are hot topics of discussion.

US colleges basically look at the student’s academic performance, extra-curricular activities, the quality of essays submitted, and SAT scores. To get into one of the top-ranked colleges, you have to be top-notch in all these areas: academics, extra-curricular activities, writing the essays, and your SAT scores. A lot depends on luck too, as colleges and their admissions officers vary in their strategies and methods of evaluation during selection of students. A lot also depends on how many applications and what kind of applications are submitted to these colleges and to their specific courses in that specific admissions session or intake.

Obviously, a great deal depends on academic performance and SAT scores, but the essays are definitely a deciding component of the admissions process. Generally speaking, in the essays, colleges and their admissions officers look for structure and eloquence in getting thoughts across, interest in the college and subject applied for, career goals, personal achievements, desirable characteristics, and maybe an anecdote or two on how you overcame challenges and adversities in your life. The essays are generally prompted by questions: e.g. “Why do you wish to attend our school?” The personal statement as an essay, on the other hand, is expected to be future- and career-focused. Usually students need to write and edit their essays a number of times to get it right… sometimes, only to be rejected by the college/university they had given their heart to.

[Continue to part 2]