World Universities Forum’s Updates

Three higher education trends to watch for in 2013

universityworldnews.com | By Rahul Choudaha

International higher education by its very nature sits at an intersection of socio-cultural, economic and geopolitical variables. Over the years, we have seen the complex interaction of the factors that influence patterns of student mobility, institutional strategies and national policies.

What key trends can we expect for 2013 that will prove influential in international higher education? Here is my take on three trends to watch for this year related to university funding, regulatory environment and technology.

Funding: More institutional self-sufficiency and competition

The reverberations of the global financial crisis are still being felt on the campuses of many public institutions around the world. In the US, post-recession budget cuts in state universities and colleges have prompted many to increase their recruitment focus on international students who pay higher, out-of-state tuition fees.

For example, at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), new international undergraduate student enrolment grew seven-fold – from 142 to 1,012 – between 2008 and 2012.

While institutions like UCLA have a stellar reputation to attract and absorb international students, many other institutions are finding their internal capacities to be inadequate for this sudden shift towards a more proactive recruitment model.

In addition, “weakened pricing power and difficulty in growing enrolment are impeding revenue growth at an increasing number of US colleges and universities”, according to Moody's Investors Service. Read More...