We just talk about the good stuff

Through a new alliance with Australian edtech platform E2, education agency Global Reach will be able to “transform” its student test prep experience, the companies have said.

The agency announced it would be embarking a strategic partnership which would see Global Reach use E2’s B2B Test Preparation platform to help its student placement officers manage workload.

Inder Lamba, head of customer success at E2, said the process would result in “new levels of efficiency, engagement and success through digital learning”.

“The platform analytics will empower student placement officers and regional managers to have a 360 degree view of students’ progress and test preparation readiness to satisfy their visa and migration requirements,” he said.

“The platform analytics will empower student placement officers”

Lamba explained that the analytics that student placement officers will have access to will ensure a “win-win proposition” for both the students and the officers.

E2, which is based in Melbourne, has had its test prep mechanism in operation since 2015, which has attracted over two million students.

Australia is one of Global Reach’s main study destinations, where it is contracted to represent all its educational institutions after over 30 years of operation, but the platform will be able to be used by candidates heading to any study destination.

Ravi Lochan Singh, the managing director, expressed his positive outlook on the partnership, citing E2’s “customer experience”.

“We are delighted to partner with E2 because of… the original content they will supply to all the students that deposit their trust in our organisation,” he said.

It is hoped that the use of E2’s test prep platform will supercharge Global Reach’s online versatility, which was seen throughout the pandemic in 2020 through “successful” delivery of face-to-face and “entirely virtual services to their students”.

The partnership is now in effect, with the test prep courses that E2 administers already being available for all Global Reach candidates beginning their foray into international study.

The post Global Reach partners with E2 on test prep appeared first on The PIE News.

After operating for 181 years, Iowa Wesleyan University on March 28 announced its imminent closure due to financial challenges.

The private institution states on its website that it serves over 100 international students from over 30 countries, promoting its campus as “one of the most diverse in the region”.

In its closure announcement, IW said it secured four “teach-out agreements” with William Penn University, Upper Iowa University, University of Dubuque and Culver-Stockton College. This allows students to complete their academic programs within a comparable time frame and cost to IW.

Since then, additional teach-out agreements have been added, and more are pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission’s Institutional Actions Council.

Millikin University, a private institution in Decatur, IL, announced last week that it would aid IW students, through a tuition match for both undergraduate and graduate students who previously attended IW and “choose to transfer to Millikin”.

In addition to creating a transfer funnel with no additional “out-of-pocket costs”, transferring students can access housing at Millikin University as well as monetary support through “transfer grants and/or scholarship”.

While international students have not been addressed specifically within Millikin’s transfer plans, the Office of Admission guarantees to work with these students “one-on-one” to ensure future success.

International students at IW can refer to the International Student FAQs on IW’s website to receive more specific guidance, a spokesperson told The PIE. Regarding status, IW maintains that international students’ status will not be affected “regardless of the university’s closing”.

However, there are requirements to remain “legal” and “in-status”. These include attending class, corresponding with designated school officials and keeping copies of the I-20 form. 

Paolo Ancona, a graduate assistant for the Center for International Education at IW, told The PIE News that the circumstances surrounding IW’s closure are heartbreaking, not only for the school closing itself but for the “small town and community” that is represented through IW.

“Many international students found comfort and happiness when they first came to Mount Pleasant,” he said. “The Tiger Family will always be in our hearts.”

“The Tiger Family will always be in our hearts”

International students facing university closure is not an unusual phenomenon. This February, ASA College lost its accreditation which prompted its closure. With no transfer arrangements with other institutions, international students were impacted by the lack of contingency plan.

After learning that ASA was closing, international student Edwin Rodriguez, originally from Colombia, contacted the college to receive transcripts and request a tuition refund.

However, the institution responded by requesting him to pay the remaining balance to access his transcripts.

After ASA’s announcement of accreditation, over 100 students, many of whom are international, contacted the New York Legal Assistance Group. They required help “getting ASA to sign their withdrawal paperwork”, according to Jessica Ranucci, the coordinating attorney of the Special Litigation Unit.

Iowa Wesleyan University likewise addresses the importance of paying “all remaining balances due to the university” to obtain transcripts. Transcripts can be requested after the school closure, as the University of Iowa will become the repository for these IW documents.

Christine Plunkett, president of Iowa Wesleyan University, said that the focus “is now on assuring our over 850 students have a smooth transition to another educational opportunity”.

The post Int’l students face Iowa Wesleyan University closure appeared first on The PIE News.

South Asian graduates have experienced unequal opportunities in accessing employability-related programs as postgraduate international students in Australia, a report has said.

The qualitative study was carried out by Jasvir Kaur Nachatar Singh for the Higher Education Quarterly.

As part of the research 20 South Asian postgraduates were interviewed to explore their experiences in accessing employability-related programs.

It found that South Asian graduates are disadvantaged by generic career advice and resume assistance offered by their university career office.

Opportunities like internships, placements of graduate programs were mostly offered to domestic students, the report said. As a result, South Asian graduates were unable to gain employment in their field of studies.

“We did have career fairs at university every semester. But most of the career fairs I attended just have jobs for PRs [permanent residents] or citizens. TR [temporary resident] jobs are very limited,” one male student from India told researchers.

“Maybe just two or three companies only at the fair takes in international students or TRs. So I did not get the change to gain the jobs at the career fair.”

One female student told researchers that opportunities from companies were limited.

“Very few companies are open for international students – probably less than 10. So, it is very hard. We don’t have much opportunities due [to] the limited numbers of companies that take in international graduates,” she said.

The South Asian graduates in the study took the opportunity to seek assistance from the career’s office at the host university while they were studying.

“However, they found that the careers advice and resume assistance provided by the careers professional were too generic for international students to seek employment in Australia,” the report said.

Researchers added that international graduates wanted specific advice on writing industry-related resumes and connections with industry professionals.

The report said that overall, South Asian graduates have experienced “unequal treatment” in accessing employability programs during their studies.

“They are disappointed with the support on offer from the university careers office. Appropriate assistance to international students could have facilitated their employability while studying and helped them gain successful employment upon graduation,” the report added.

As part of the research, the South Asian graduates provided several recommendations to improve accessibility of employability-related programs.

The graduates urged universities to have partnerships with companies to provide job opportunities to international students.

It was suggested that a quota system could be implemented, where there are jobs allocated proportionally to international students and to domestic students.

“Employers, particularly in the private sector, are opening up their programs to international student applicants”

Other suggestions were that companies could provide lower-position jobs or internships to international students, because they themselves were aware that practical workplace experience was vital and increased their chances of obtaining jobs upon graduation.

The South Asian graduates also said that careers offices should be proactive in inviting more companies to career fairs – such as those that could provide favourable job-related opportunities for international students or graduates on temporary visas.

Shanan Green, chief executive officer of the Australian Association of Graduate Employers, confirmed to The PIE News that there are more graduate opportunities for domestic than international students.

“However our data demonstrates this is changing with the 2023 AAGE Employer Survey reporting a 6% increase in the number of employers opening their programs to international students,” Green said.

“With changes to visa requirements and increasing demand for talent, employers, particularly in the private sector, are opening up their programs to international student applicants.”

Phil Honeywood, executive director at the International Education Association of Australia told The PIE that course related employability is increasingly a shared responsibility between education providers and their students.

“Many universities in Australia have, in fact, upgraded their on-campus careers advice centres to become core business,” he said.

“However, international students must also share some of the responsibility when it comes to being good candidates for jobs. Too often we hear of students from some countries who insist on sharing their accommodation with others from the same culture and language background.”

According to Honeywood, this often results in their English language ability going backwards even after three or four years in Australia.

“When they subsequently go for a job interview we hear back from Australian employers that, on paper, their qualifications are fine but their conversational English is not at the required level to inspire confidence from customers and clients.

“In equal measure, many students fall into the trap of gaining their initial part-time employment from an employer from their same culture.

“This can result in same culture exploitation and an undervaluing of the skills that the young person might otherwise have been able to exhibit in a different more multicultural work environment.”

Honeywood also highlighted what he called a “more worrying trend” where students from South Asia initially enrol with a globally-ranked quality public or private higher education provider but then get persuaded by an onshore education agent to withdraw from that institution and enrol in a much less expensive but low quality private college.

“This change of provider too often results in a sub-optimal education outcome. It can also lead to suspicion, from the prospective Australian employer, about the bona fides of the college that the student has allegedly graduated from,” he added.

Sushil Sukhwani, director of Edwise International told The PIE that, while the study was qualitative, he agreed with its findings.

“To get more attention towards career guidance is very relevant and I feel institutions can easily achieve this,” he said.

Sukhwani told The PIE that it is more complicated to get companies to hire more TRs over citizens and PRs. He explained that governments and local companies cannot offer TRs at the same opportunities as citizens.

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson told The PIE that the latest survey of domestic and international graduates confirms that a university education opens the door to success in the workplace.

“Growing numbers of international students are securing full-time work within the three-years of graduation on par with their domestic peers. This is a good outcome for graduates and for Australia which needs more talent and skills, not less,” Jackson said.

“Through the current review of Australia’s migration settings, we will continue to advocate for a fit-for-purpose system that better supports employment pathways and encourages more international students to use their education here if they choose to,” she added.

The post Australia: “unequal” employability opportunities for South Asian grads appeared first on The PIE News.

I’ve always said that study abroad changes lives, and that changed lives change the world.

As someone who had the opportunity to study in another country, worked as an economist engaging with different cultures, served as a US college president seeing first-hand the benefits of global studies, and now CEO and president of a study abroad organisation, I can say that I would not be where I am today without my international experiences.

Our consortium of 250+ colleges and universities and more than 200,000 alumni since our founding in 1950 are testimony that study abroad is a powerful, meaningful experience.

The world is a challenging place at the best of times, and these aren’t the best of times. We’re at a particularly pivotal moment in history where we need thoughtful, interculturally effective, empathetic global citizens more than ever.

However, recent guidance proposed by the Department of Education would make it impossible to proactively cultivate more capable global citizens for the future.

The guidance, referenced in DOE’s Dear Colleague letter on February 15, and updated on Tuesday, February 28, has severe unintended consequences that must be addressed before they are written into policy on September 1.

“As currently drafted, the guidance will devastate the study abroad field”

As currently drafted, the guidance will devastate the study abroad field, making it impossible for American students to experience the benefits that come from greater knowledge and understanding of other languages and cultures, hindering their ability to gain critical global perspectives and understanding.

This cannot be allowed to happen.

Study abroad experiences empower students to step outside of their comfort zones and develop skills outside the traditional American classroom. Students also develop highly sought-after professional skills—adaptability, communication, self-awareness, confidence—that studies have shown enhance their career outcomes.

There are a myriad of educational, cultural, professional, and social benefits linked to study abroad experience; in fact, a survey analysing 50 years of study abroad program participants found that 87% of those participants believe studying abroad served as a catalyst for increased maturity. The programs challenge students to learn new languages, discourse with individuals from different cultural backgrounds, and increase in independence, sometimes for the first time.

Under the DOE’s proposed regulations, the definition of “third-party servicers” has been significantly expanded to include any type of service that would be provided to students outside of the United States, such as medical care providers, professors, foreign universities, and more. This definition will essentially prohibit students from using Title IV federal aid to pay for study abroad experiences, including with accredited institutions, if the servicer or subcontractor is owned or operated outside of the US.

Further, the expanded guidance regarding activities unrelated to handling Title IV funds appears to render it impossible for a provider of study abroad services to operate anywhere in the world if they utilise foreign sub-contractors, such as instructors or providers of housing or classroom space. Every study abroad program, no matter the operator, relies on overseas sub-contractors to deliver critical on-the-ground, in-country student health and wellness services, which could no longer be provided to students under the new definition.

We believe that the DOE’s new guidance was intended to be aimed at Online Platform Management, but due to the vague definitions in the regulations, it could be detrimental to the study abroad industry and higher education as a whole.

The unintended consequences of these proposed regulations are massive. These regulations would critically impact students receiving Title IV financial aid, limiting their ability to participate in study abroad educational programs. In addition, those students basing their college decisions on the availability of study abroad programs may find their dreams of study abroad ending due to this guidance.

Our alumni are a great testament to the power of study abroad. Alums including Amanda Gorman, American poet and activist; Janet Napolitano, former US Secretary of Homeland Security; Mary Ann Peters, retired US Ambassador and CEO, The Carter Center; and David Muir, Journalist, Anchor, ABC World News Tonight, ‘20/20’, to name a few, have all spoken on the positive impact of study abroad on their careers.

For example, according to Amanda Gorman, study abroad “…was so life-changing and phenomenal; I don’t think that I would be who I am today without that experience”.

These regulations would be detrimental to the very students who are already at a financial disadvantage and need more aid for opportunities to expand their education, cultural experiences, and knowledge. We believe education abroad is integral to the mission of higher education and should be accessible to all students, including those receiving federal aid.

“These regulations would be detrimental to the very students who are already at a financial disadvantage”

Even the US Department of State has noted the benefits of studying abroad: “to build skills and knowledge, prepare to solve the world’s toughest challenges, and compete in the 21^st century workforce.”

The guidance appears unclear as to what the actual definition of a sub-contractor is. If the guidance is declaring that any individual or organisation providing service to a student overseas is a sub-contractor and therefore not able to provide services to US students, it would be impossible for US universities, colleges or study abroad providers to conduct study abroad programs.

We cannot believe the DOE, nor the underlying statute of regulations, ever intended to take away a student’s opportunity to study abroad, or to take away the opportunity of those students who rely on financial aid to pursue global educational opportunities.

There is still time to fix this. In fact, I plan to speak on this topic and share the concerns of industry leaders at a hearing being held by the Department of Education on April 11.

We urge the DOE to amend its proposed regulations so that students from schools in every part of the United States will be able to study abroad. More specifically, we believe that the DOE should re-draft its guidance so that it clearly and specifically calls out that study abroad providers are not included in their current definition of a subcontractor/third-party servicer.

Let’s meet students where they’re at, rather than keeping them where they are.

About the author: Gregory D. Hess, Ph.D. is president & CEO of IES Abroad.

The post DOE’s proposed regulations would destroy study abroad opportunities for US college students appeared first on The PIE News.

Qualifications verification platform Qualification Check has partnered with digital identity company, Yoti, in a bid to streamline the international credential vetting process.

The partnership is designed to address the needs of those applying for higher education, as well as for employment, to prove their academic and professional qualifications.

“The combination of Yoti’s strength in verifying personal ID and Qualification Check’s global coverage of academic and professional awards, makes this a natural partnership, offering a single secure platform for personal identity, higher education and career progression,” Ed Hall, CEO of Qualification Check, said.

Since 2014, Yoti has provided a reusable Digital ID that allows individuals to prove their identify without the need for showing ID documents or share an excessive amount of personal data.

“We’re thrilled to join forces with Qualification Check and help people safely share verified qualification credentials, as well as identity details, with ease, simplicity and speed,” Robin Tombs, Yoti CEO, explained.

“We’re already transforming the way people complete right to work checks, so this partnership will help us bring the power of digital identity to even more people.”

Headquartered in London, Qualification Check covers 195 countries and more than 50,000 universities and institutions via its cloud-based portal. Some 80% of verifications are fully or partially automated.

The post Qualification Check enters verification partnership appeared first on The PIE News.

Caste divisions are a problem at UK universities, say students and academics, as institutions in the US take steps to tackle caste-based discrimination. 

In South Asian countries, members of lower caste communities, such as Dalits, have historically faced discrimination and exclusion. As emigration out of this region continues, these divisions and the resulting prejudices persist abroad. 

Following concerns about discrimination among international student populations, some US institutions have begun to introduce protections for lower-caste students. In December 2022, Brown University added a clause to its nondiscrimination policy explicitly prohibiting caste oppression. Now, California State University and Harvard University have both followed suit. 

At the time, Sylvia Carey-Butler, Brown’s vice president for institutional equity and diversity, said as the South Asian population in the US increases, caste discrimination is a growing issue on college and university campuses across the country.

With more Indians choosing to study in the UK, students told The PIE News that caste divisions are also an issue at British universities, often presenting in subtle ways.

Asang Wankhede, a student at the University of Oxford who is from a Dalit community in India, said he felt isolated when studying with other students from higher-castes. 

“They would have their own groups where they would only mingle,” Wankhede said. 

He told The PIE that higher caste students would try to “discredit” and “cancel” Dalit students like him. He was told he did not have the ‘merit’ to study at Oxford and had capitalised on his caste identity to secure a place at the university, rather than earning it fairly. 

Another student spread rumours about Wankhede’s “inappropriate” behaviour at an event he didn’t attend. After he complained to the university and the matter was investigated, the student was issued with a warning. 

“Caste-based discrimination exists quite rampantly across UK universities”

“These blatant false allegations and caste-hate pushed me towards contemplating committing self-harm and suicide,” he said.  

Wankhede also said he saw other Dalit students being harassed and abused for speaking out about caste discrimination, including at other universities. 

“Caste-based discrimination exists quite rampantly across UK universities and education spaces,” Wankhede said. 

While parts of the US are becoming increasingly conscious of caste discrimination, with California lawmakers currently considering a bill that would outlaw this, the UK rejected the option of making caste a protected characteristic when updating the Equality Act in 2018. 

“The way caste discrimination operates in small towns and villages in India is very different from how it happens in universities,” said Sumit Samos, a former student at the University of Oxford. 

“The moment I entered the classroom, I realised I was different than most Indians and Pakistanis there,” he told The PIE. “Once you start to speak, then people figure it out as to which caste you belong to because I would talk about icons and movements and political leaders from marginalised communities.”

Like Wankhede, Sumit said that he felt excluded by upper-caste students as they would only spend time with one another. “It’s a very grey area because if they don’t want to hang out with you, they can just say it’s personal differences, it’s not about caste,” he said. 

Arun Kumar, a senior lecturer in Global Development and Management at King’s College London, said, “Knowing how caste operates in institutional settings, often in coded ways that are not immediately visible or comprehensible to outsiders, there is bound to be caste-based discrimination being experienced by Dalit [or] Bahujan students in the UK.”

Over 126,000 Indians were studying in the UK in 2021/22. With numbers set to continue growing, Kumar said the issue of caste discrimination is likely to worsen. 

“There is very little institutional understanding around caste-based discrimination, which means that even when students experience and raise discrimination, there is little support available to them,” he said. 

“In most cases the upper-caste students and faculty from South Asia, who would have good understanding of caste, work quite actively to feign ignorance in order to suppress such issues from being raised altogether,” he added. 

The University of Oxford did not respond to requests for comment.

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While not traditionally a popular destination for African students, the Eastern European country of Hungary is gradually becoming a favourite study option for many, thanks mainly to the high success rate of study visa applications.

Many African applicants are buoyed by the impressive visa approval rates for both those on Hungarian government scholarships as well as for self-sponsored students.

In some countries such as Kenya, the study visa success rate has been as high as 90% for both categories of students according Caroline Kithama of the Africa Regional Office for Education Hungary in Nairobi, Kenya, told The PIE News. The consortium is made up of four Hungarian universities.

The country’s gradual strides are being complemented by a sustained campaign by the Education Hungary consortium, as well as by government scholarships issued under the Stipendium Hungaricum scheme, she noted.

The consortium is made up of the University of Pécs, the University of Debrecen, the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) and the International Business School (IBS), and has been busy recruiting and helping students with applications, ahead of commencement of learning in September, she added.

“A lot of work has been done by the universities with the support from Hungarian embassies in popularising the universities,” she noted.

“Our universities offer world-class education while charging affordable tuition fees and some of them such as the University of Pecs are among the oldest in Europe dating back to 1360,” she added.

“A lot of work has been done by the universities with the support from Hungarian embassies”

This was especially so when compared to popular western Europe, North American and Australian destinations. This is besides offering degree programs in English coupled by affordable cost of living in the country.

The universities were charging as low €‎1,700 a year, while non-medical degrees were available at between €‎3,000-7,000 a year  for undergraduates explained. On the other hand, some international masters degrees programs were on offer for as low €‎7,000 a year.

The Education Hungary universities pride themselves of using the language for decades now, and combined, they are hosting more than 13,000 international students, they say in the consortium website.

“Our primary mandate is to offer education opportunities in Hungary, to all, with an aim of creating future leaders who would make an impact in the world.

“We walk with you every step of the way from the initial advisory stage to the application, interviews, admission, visa preparation; briefing before departure and further necessary support post-departure,” the universities add.

Some of the highest student visa success rates abroad have stood at around 60%, compared to an around 12% success rates for Canadian visas between 2015-2020.

About 34,800 international students were enrolled in Hungarian universities in academic year 2021-2022, an over 100% growth compared to 2009/10 academic year, when 14,300 were studying in the country according to international data portal Statista.

In 2021, Nigeria was the only African country that made it to the top 10 list of countries with most students in Hungary with 970 students, in a roll dominated by European countries, according to data published by Daily Hungary News. The publication also put the total number of international students at 35,600.

The post Hungary: high visa approval rate attracting Africans appeared first on The PIE News.

UK boarding association BSA Group has launched a specialist immigration service for its members to supplement its pre-existing mock audit service.

The BSA Group Legal Services will offer a range of free and discounted immigration legal support including CAS support, mock UKVI audits and due diligence checks to assess financial and pupil eligibility.

“We are delighted to be able to offer this new service to our members,” Kate Hollyer, Legal team lead and qualified immigration solicitor, said.

“A focal part of BSA Group’s mission is to support excellence in boarding and, through BSA Group Legal, we seek to ensure our schools holding UKVI sponsor status remain compliant and have access to expert legal guidance.”

BSA has also revealed a due diligence service partnership with Verisio, which carries out comprehensive financial and background checks on the source of fee revenue for independent schools recruiting international students.

“Compliance with stringent sponsor duties, ever-changing legal policy and guidance is often burdensome for our member schools. Navigating the complexities of UK immigration laws can be challenging and mistakes are costly; sponsor schools cannot afford to get it wrong,” Hollyer continued.

“We want to make UKVI compliance as straightforward, stress-free and cost-effective as possible”

“We want to take that burden away from our schools and make UKVI compliance as straightforward, stress-free and cost-effective as possible, so that our schools can focus on providing a fantastic international student experience.”

The service also offers agent and guardian checks, bespoke immigration training and advice, individual student and family visa application support.

Home Office escalation support will assist with replacement biometric residence permits, delayed application decisions, ISI compliance issues, CAS reinstatement and visa refusals.

“Whether schools seek full support with issuing CAS to their international students or want to check their current processes are compliant, we offer services to suit all needs. Our unique position within the BSA Group ensures we offer a holistic understanding of the boarding sector; our advice is truly integrated,” Hollyer added.

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Dubai’s “unparalleled infrastructure”, safe society and growing school market will see people trying to take advantage of its standing as an up-and-coming “education hub”, a leading provider has said.

The city’s ELT market has gained more attention in the last few years, with more agents and schools seeing it as an option, especially in the wake of Brexit and other issues.

“Our numbers have been steadily growing [in Dubai] through the pandemic,” Mike Summerfield, managing director of English Path, told The PIE News.

“We have a fantastic nationality mix in Dubai; our top five nationalities currently are Colombians, Turkish, Japanese, Russians and a mixture of European nationals,” he explained.

This diverse mix of nationalities comes from the ease of access to Dubai itself, according to Ingrid Farieta, director of STEP International agency.

“Dubai is a place that has its doors opened to the world. There are not as many restrictions on visas as in other major destinations – people from all over the globe can come here without any issues,” she told The PIE, explaining its growing popularity for EFL learning.

According to both Farieta and Summerfield, Dubai’s famously safe streets and city life is what really sells it for young learners. Farieta even said she could leave her laptop at her desk in a coffee shop and it would still be there three hours later.

“People want to be here”

English is the language of communication in Dubai. While 20% of the population in the city is Arabic, the rest are from all over the globe, Farieta noted.

“When a student comes here to study, they simply have to speak English. From the waiter, to say, a street sweeper, every human being speaks to you in English.

“Nobody is going to speak to you in Arabic or even Spanish; English is the universal language here,” Farieta added.

STEP’s recruitment mainly stems from the LATAM region, and Farieta noted Dubai is now one of her strongest markets along with Australia. Ecuador and Colombia are the biggest source markets, along with the emergent Mexico.

For those Latin American students, Farieta stressed that reaching at least a B1 level of English in Dubai opens the door to getting much better jobs after.

While in Australia it’s possible to get more menial jobs with lower levels of English, she noted, the need to reach a better level of English to get a job in Dubai allows for more avenues to more important positions.

“The opportunity to work part time whilst studying in Dubai is a major attraction,” Summerfield commented.

“[What’s more], it is very easy to move to a full-time work visa after your course has finished.”

Along with more accommodation options, and being more affordable than other destinations, Summerfield added, it’s the perfect place for young learners.

English Path has announced an expansion in the Dubai Knowledge Park to welcome more students.

“The UAE’s careful politics has paid dividends”

“The UAE’s careful politics has paid dividends is the rise in applications from Chinese students and Dubai has managed to be one of the only places on offer for Russian students to easily come and study English,” he said.

“Dubai is rapidly becoming one of the main education hubs in the world. Over the next few years, we will see more English language schools and universities opening up,” he added.

Whether this will be seen through the UAE ministry of education’s “innovation strategy”, which was announced in February, is another matter.

Nevertheless, Farieta sees “lot of potential for English learning in Dubai”.

Her business is on Colombian hours – another advantage of Dubai, she said, is that people can work at their own pace and time and the city goes on.

“I always say, if I would have come 30 years ago, I would have only seen sand. But now people see Dubai as a world power. 16 million people visit every year. People want to be here.”

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US international education stakeholders are pressing the government to rescind to a recent statement on the use of third-party providers.

The Dear Colleague Letter – released in February – should be withdrawn, stakeholders say, as it would have “unintended but serious consequences” for international recruiting, as well as study abroad programming.

Stakeholders are concerned the wide-ranging guidance will effectively ban overseas international education agents and recruitment partners, stop transnational education agreements and halt partners offering study abroad provisions.

Some 1,100 individuals and organisations have responded to a call for public comment.

NASFA says the guidance “exceeds current law and regulations” and should be withdrawn as it “will end nearly all current study abroad programming” and damage the US’s ability to attract top international talent.

In a letter to US education minister, Miguel Cardona, NAFSA’s CEO and executive director Fanta Aw said the guidance has “created great uncertainty within the U.S. higher education community as it works to build back from the devastating losses to international education during the Covid-19 crisis”.

According to Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, the DCL would lead to “the termination of many study abroad programs, academic and instructional partnerships with foreign universities, the ability of certain foreign universities to enrol American students receiving Title IV aid, and the ability of domestic institutions to enrol international students to study in the United States using foreign-based recruiters”.

The guidance – planned to come into effect on September 1 – redefines third-party service providers, which will “debilitate international education”, impede global mobility and end agreements and partnerships that have been formed to “enrich U.S. institutions through identifying international students who will bring unique, global perspectives to campus communities”, NAFSA said.

ACE warned that the redefinition could impact nonprofit organisations and foundations assisting low-income, first-gen student recruitment, retention and academic counselling,  providers of clinical experiences for healthcare students, mental health providers, edtech publishers and high school agencies participating in dual or concurrent enrolment programs.

The guidance will also have huge impacts for online management providers, with 2U already filing legal action against the Department of Education.

Study Abroad

Most education and study abroad programs and exchanges would be prohibited by the guidance, except for those constructed and taught by faculty hired by US institutions, NAFSA continued.

Rochester Institute of Technology said its 500+ students projected to participate in study abroad annually would be impacted, while Chris Harrington, associate vice president for Federal Governmental Relations at University of California System, noted that guidance would undo “decades of work in creating study abroad opportunities that are accessible to all students” in the institution’s submission.

It could also lead to the closure of US international branch campuses and the disruption of dual degree programs and transfer articulation agreements with foreign higher education institutions.

The University of Melbourne in Australia said many of its students travel to the country with the support of US financial aid.

“Not integrating local experts to design the curriculum is not allowing students to learn from the true experts”

Melbourne currently has 24 exchange partnerships with US institutions, with study abroad and exchange programs contributing to more than 80% of the overall enrolments from US students, it said. Since 2011, Melbourne has welcomed more than 4,000 study abroad and exchange students.

The institution is concerned the guidance will have unintended consequences for US students hoping to undertake a study abroad program in Australia, in addition to reciprocal exchanges with our long-standing and valued US partner institutions.

By not allowing contracts with foreign entities in study abroad, the DCL “flies in the face” of the 2021 Joint Statement, NAFSA continued. At the time US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the sector the Biden-Harris administration could be relied on to do everything it can “to make your work easier”.

“The DCL would prevent tens of thousands of students who receive need-based aid from benefitting from the life changing experience of studying abroad,” NAFSA said.

The Association of International Education Administrators added that removing access to federal financial aid that American students gain via Title IV funds will “only further expand socioeconomic void in access to high impact learning practices”.

In-person internship programs offered in partnership with a placement agency could also be impacted, while virtual student exchange could also be hit.

The AIEA said the guidance “negates using the people and institutions that are experts in the culture, knowledge and other content taught on study abroad programs”, calling on the guidance to be rescinded.

“Not integrating local experts to design the curriculum is not allowing students to learn from the true experts,” AIEA leaders wrote to Secretary Cardona.

International student recruitment impact

Stakeholders are also concerned that barring the ability to work with recruiters overseas will damage US institutions in the global competition to attract and retain international students.

Comments highlight that the guidance contradicts with previous Department of State endorsements of education agencies.

With contracts with third-party local agents, and a clear policy on ethical recruitment, Western Michigan University’s international student recruitment efforts would be “significantly” disrupted, Paulo Zagalo-Melo, associate provost of Global Education at WMU said.

Helios Ernesto Galindo Galvez from Destino Education warned the guidance would forbid companies like his to recruit for US institutions. It would be expected agents would instead recruit for competitor countries.

Millersville University in Pennsylvania noted the prohibition of using international recruitment agencies would “severely limit” its international recruitment plan, according to its submission.

Additionally, agents that have recruited students for fall 2023 could lose the ability to receive compensation/ commission, which has the potential to cause a breach of contract, it said.

The guidance also extends beyond higher education, with Rachel Pusch, director of Enrollment Management at Riverstone International School in Idaho highlighting the expanded TPS definition “would result in major disruptions for US schools international education programs”.

“If the Department wishes to receive better information and documentation to monitor compliance with the prohibition against incentive payments to third-party recruiters, it should build a regulatory framework and information collection tool to accomplish that goal,” NAFSA said.

NACAC said it acknowledges the “increasingly complex environment”, highlighting that the current guidance “presents an opportunity to provide additional clarity to international Title IV-eligible institutions about the use of commissioned agents to recruit students in the US, provided such students are not eligible for Title IV funding”.

Any impact on attracting top international talent to the US could threaten the $33.8 billion and over 335,000 US jobs international students contribute to the country’s economy each year.

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