Over 14 years, HousingAnywhere has grown from student-to-student messaging forum to assisting 104,000 people across Europe to find accommodation in one year. With housing crises hitting the headlines globally, CEO Djordy Seelmann sat down with The PIE to identify long-term solutions, the platform’s plans to expand in the UK, North America and APAC, and why educators need to be thinking about accommodation.

The CEO of the mid to long-term rental housing specialist HousingAnywhere has a message for the education sector.

“Whether you’re a university, a politician, somebody in the administration of the city, you need to know that education and accommodation are a whole. If you offer on-campus education then you need to think about both, you need to think about where people are going to live,” he tells The PIE.

Seelmann is in London meeting stakeholders, prospective customers and partners as the platform prepares to ramp up its UK activity in 2023 in a bid to “further enable people to have freedom to live how they want, where they want”.

With its mature PBSA market, the UK has often been the one mainland Europe has followed when identifying a business model it can replicate.

“I think the UK is very much a light-bearing nation when it comes to the commercial way of providing student accommodation in markets that are really supply constrained. It’s too bad that they haven’t been as successful in Germany or in the Netherlands just because of market regulation,” he tells The PIE.

“We’re not like anti-regulation at all… but you have to think about the effects of it.”

Housing shortages – a problem aggravated by inflation and cost of living crises – have made headlines, from UK and Dutch universities telling international students not to come despite being admitted, to “traumatising” searches for housing in Canada, to capacity concerns in Australia.

Research from Stripe Property Group released in January found that “the burning issue of student accommodation availability is one that is impacting students the length and breadth” of the UK. Some 75% of PBSA at the University of York is already booked for 2023/24, while Harper Adams University and the University of Glasgow are at “the lower end”, with 35% and 20%, respectively, booked.

“It is very nice to be in a top ranking school, but if the education is not accessible because you cannot actually physically live there, it’s a show stopper,” Seelmann says, suggesting accommodation availability should be considered in rankings.

“People are already pre-emptively acting on accommodation options”

“You see that people are already pre-emptively acting on accommodation options. They don’t even know if they’re admitted.

“We see this conversation more and more, universities actually saying to students, ‘do not come if you haven’t secured housing’. That’s a pretty stark message. They say it in August or September, when you have no options anymore to go anywhere else. So what does that mean for a student? Dreams are put on hold, are being shattered. It’s really sad.”

Including the availability of housing in rankings would offer students clearer guidance, he suggests. With the UK hitting 680,000 international students in 2021/22, the country is no exception and is likely to face more acute challenges in maintaining its competitiveness to attract and retain talents, HousingAnywhere contends.

And yet, transparency around availability and cost is also a problem.

“The real problem is that there’s a lack of visibility on what students are paying,” he explained. HousingAnywhere’s International Rent Index warns Europe’s rental housing price increases hit 14.3%, far exceeding the average record-breaking 9.3% inflation across the continent.

“We’re really trying to get some sort of truth on what people are paying,” he says. “Let’s first just look at the data, then we need to keep politicians accountable and not act on the whims of political gains.”

Rent price control, calls to cut the numbers of international students and favour local citizens over international movers, are all short-term views that serve short-sighted politicians pandering to electorates. Rent controls – such as those seen in Berlin, Barcelona or the Netherlands – not only does nothing to create new accommodation, but it also acts as a disincentive to investors, Seelmann maintains.

“The right action is look at how can we actually speed up the pipelines for new builds,” he says. “The buy-to-let is not a solution because the overall housing market is still too constrained.

“What happens when you install rent controls is that investors pull back from the market. So there’s going to be even less, they sell properties that used to be part of the rental inventory and then prices even increase more.”

Affordability will only come when the market allows, Seelmann suggests.

“I’m curious what governments are going to come up with because what we see is very little development from governments to really get these pipelines going. As we see it today, everybody is kind of grinding gears and nothing is really happening. And then when you have problems like building costs rising, interest rates rising, it’s like, ‘okay, we give up’. That’s the response that we see with some governments in Europe,” he continues.

Why is an accommodation marketplace that has built its business model on commission from bookings concerned? Seelmann asks.

“Because when we talk about education, accessibility to education, it’s really getting to a point now where governments are starting to talk about implementing more visa controls and decreasing the number of international students,” Seelmann adds.

“After decades of investments actually attracting these internationals because of their economical benefits, it’s counterproductive. It’s kind of pushing back, kind of putting everything that we’ve built in the past 10, 20 years, back in reverse. It’s like the Bologna Process was actually a bad thing.”

One solution to secure more pipelines is to look to different stakeholders, he adds.

“It’s important that universities have conversations with the city council and say, ‘hey, we want to grow as a university or as a group of universities, we want to attract more international students, where are we going to house them?’”

Along with an expansion in the UK, HousingAnywhere is opening in the US and Canada, ahead of plans in APAC – Seelmann mentions Sydney and Melbourne as “very big destinations”, but also Singapore and Tokyo.

“Creating a marketplace with transactional features for different markets is a big investment”

“It’s interesting, but to create a marketplace with transactional features for these different markets is a big investment. In total, we raised €65m, partly for acquisitions, but about €47m of that went into building our business,” he says.

And it is this tech that will “enable an easier, faster and safer rental experience”, HousingAnywhere states.

Countries cannot afford to risk losing out on inclusive, diverse international mobility if they want to flourish and pursue their goals, Seelman adds.

“Actually getting to understand the other side of the table and seeing the other perspectives, that’s really an important part to live in a planet with 8 billion people now.”

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Yet another mass shooting at an American university has raised questions about international student safety and whether gun violence will deter people from studying in the US.

Three American students were killed in the shooting at Michigan State University on February 13. The Chinese Consulate in Chicago reported that two students from China were among five people injured in the attack.

In a statement, the consulate described the shooting as “shocking” and advised both Chinese students and visitors to exercise caution in the US.

While neither the consulate nor police identified the two wounded Chinese students, a GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for medical treatment and expenses for John Hao. According to the page, the 20-year-old Michigan State student was paralysed from the chest down after being shot during the attack.

The GoFundMe effort had reached $350,000 when organisers stopped accepting donations. The money will cover medical expenses and travel and accommodation costs for the student’s parents, who immediately traveled from China to be with their son at a Michigan hospital’s intensive care unit.

Argent Qian, who set up the GoFundMe page and says he is Hao’s roommate, said the parents were “mentally crushed” when they arrived at the hospital.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, a not-for-profit research organisation, there have already been 81 mass shootings in the US this year – even though it is only February. It defines such incidents as shootings in which at least four people are killed or injured.

In a survey of 2,000 international students in the US conducted in 2019, World Education Services found that 37% were worried about gun violence.

The WES report commented: “For many years, international students have been willing to risk the dangers of the United States in return for the high-quality education it provides, and its enduring reputation as a country that offers newcomers good opportunities for advancement.”

“One thing which troubles me is that anyone can have access to a gun in the US and that I could be a potential victim of a shooting,” commented one student from Mauritius who took part in the survey.

Anne Greenwood, a spokeswoman at WES, said the organisation has not conducted additional surveys since the report was published and could not comment on whether fears of gun violence have intensified.

Simon Emmett, CEO of the student marketing and recruitment firm IDP Connect, said that both students and parents are concerned about safety in choosing a study destination.

“Our latest research, published in October 2022, showed that over a quarter of students who had the US as their second-choice destination cited safety as one of the reasons it was not their first choice; this compares to only 5% of students for the UK, Canada, and Australia who felt the same way,” Emmett said.

“This presents a challenge for US institutions who must find ways of reassuring students and their families”

“The US, while the most researched destination on our websites, ranks lower than other destination countries for safety,” he said. “This presents a challenge for US institutions who must find ways of reassuring students and their families that safety is the top priority for students on their campuses and within their communities.”

In the Michigan State shooting, the assailant was identified as a 43-year-old man who had no connection to the university. American students Alexandria Verner, Brian Fraser and Arielle Diamond Anderson were killed. After the shooting, the killer fled campus and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while being pursued by police.

Michigan State has more than 4,000 international students, more than half of whom are from China.

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International education company ICEF hosted an inaugural World Student Scholarship Education Programme in the Gulf, bringing together 100 scholarship providers with education institutions in 20 countries.

The first event welcomed 175 scholarship organisation representatives from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

#نشرة_الظهيرة | تقرير: انطلاق أعمال ملتقى “الابتكار والتعليم” بمناقشة أهم المستجدات في القطاع التعليمي. #قناة_السعودية pic.twitter.com/a4lZfHh4SM

— أخبار قناة السعودية (@saudiatv_news) February 17, 2023

Among the 100 GCC scholarship providers joining the event were the Ministries of education and higher education from Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

A whole range of universities were also in attendance such as University of Bahrain, Qatar University, King Saud University, Sultan Qaboos University and University of Jeddah.

Over two days, more than 2,000 meetings took place which ICEF said will “go a long way in achieving the GCC’s long-term vision of investing in students”.

“There is clear linkage between Vision 2030 and international strategic thinking at the Ohio State”

“There is clear linkage between Vision 2030 and international strategic thinking at the Ohio State University,” said the institution’s vice provost for Global Strategies & International Affairs, Gil Latz.

Among the aims of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is to have at least five Saudi universities among the top 200 universities in international rankings. Additionally, it is seeking to “redouble efforts to ensure that the outcomes of our education system are in line with market needs”.

The vision also states that “scholarship opportunities will be steered towards prestigious international universities and be awarded in the fields that serve our national priorities”, as the country looks to focus on innovation in advanced technologies and entrepreneurship.

“We look forward to welcoming government and foundation sponsored students to our campus where talented students will learn, research, and engage on an array of topics to deepen understanding between the US and the Arab world,” Latz added.

Michael Armour from the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge added that of five meetings in one afternoon at the event, he would be sending students to four “without a doubt”.

“All in all, I’ve found 80-100 student placements in the last 24 hours,” he said.

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Increasing prices, demand and shortages as well as scams – the multitude of barriers between international students and suitable housing are continuous, and it’s a widespread issue.

The PIE spoke to stakeholders in key destination markets to find out more.

Europe

In the UK, the year 2022 saw some Russell Group universities paying their students to defer their courses due to accommodation shortages.

For QA‘s Magdalena Restrepo, it is now about managing expectations for students – particularly those heading to London for their student experience, where availability and affordability of private short term letting is an issue, she told The PIE News.

“For students who are coming from countries with less strong currencies, the prices are too high,” Restrepo, who is senior country specialist for the Americas at QA, said.

According to Restrepo, even for students who are receiving up to 40% off the cost of their course through QA scholarships, private rental prices are still unaffordable.

Although QA offers accommodation services, it requires students to commit to a 6 month lease which is increasingly becoming the norm. Many students, unable to view the property in-person before arriving, are subsequently put off.

Desperate to find suitable accommodation, many international students are susceptible to fraud, Restrepo said – especially those who are not familiar with UK laws and standard practices. Many students from the Americas have a perception of the UK as being one of the safest places in the world, leading them to be too trusting.

“Sometimes they pay an agency, just for the agency to disappear. Sometimes they knock the door of the flat they are renting and someone else is there,” she said.

It is in the sector’s interest to ease the situation for international students as accommodation issues can easily taint a student’s overall experience, as well as their perception of the institution and study destination, she continued.

“If they have a horrible experience with accommodation, they associate it with the university and with the experience.

“Other students that have had an amazing experience with housing, they are much more tolerant to any situation that might have occurred in the university with issues such as admin for example.”

Djordy Seelmann, CEO of HousingAnywhere, suggested that solutions may lie not in rent controls but in building new accommodation. Rent controls could disincentive those looking to build new properties, he told The PIE.

“The right action is to look at how can we actually speed up the pipelines for new builds”

“The right action is to look at how can we actually speed up the pipelines for new builds,” he said.

“Sometimes it means converting existing inventory from office buildings to residential, but we have to build out in residential in many European countries to house all the people that we actually want to attract – and that’s the solution.”

Seelmann advised stakeholders to take note of the housing situation in Vienna, where he believes there is “a very balanced housing situation where city and urban planning has done very well”.

Australia

Availability of accommodation is at a record low in the major Australian study destination cities according to Thaio Tomazetti, CEO of 2Stay Accommodation Group.

“Accommodation providers are already at capacity, particularly in inner-city areas. Basically, rental stock is low, demand is high and rent prices are skyrocketing,” he explained, speaking to the PIE.

The average rent for purpose-built student accommodation increased by approximately 8% last year in and Australia last year, an analysis by BONARD found.

According to Tomazetti, this is the single biggest issue for providers and agents looking to recruit students in Australia and is “most certainly the largest issue for students themselves”.

“Usually the development pipeline is very focused in Sydney and Melbourne, but there is also a need to see the growth in other markets, like Queensland and Western Australia where study bodies are urging for the Government at all levels to step up and prioritise the development of new student accommodation.”

Tomazetti does not blame the pandemic alone for the problems – noting that political and economic reasons have further exacerbated the situation.

Looking ahead, he predicts that the recent news from China will create more challenges in accommodation availability, as Chinese authorities lifted the temporary rule allowing students to study remotely.

“China is the number one source country of international students in Australia, we understand this announcement is likely to drive further demand with tens of thousands of Chinese students expected to return this month,” he affirmed.

In January, The PIE reported that the rule would mean 40,000 Chinese students are required to travel to Australia, with semester one beginning this month.

This influx of Chinese students is expected put additional pressures on student accommodation, since Chinese students already make up 27% of all residents of purpose-built student accommodation – making them the largest cohort, closely followed by domestic Australian students.

The data, from a 2022 report released by the Student Accommodation Council – an arm of the Property Council of Australia – also showed many Australian cities were already at capacity for purpose-built student accommodation beds.

Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide were expecting zero vacancy rates in 2023, well before the Chinese government’s announcement was made.

According to data released by property advisors Savills, the supply pipeline for purpose-build student accommodation beds is muted for the next two years. It also showed that all new beds becoming available in 2024 will be located in Sydney and Melbourne.

“With students scrambling to return earlier than expected, we will see student accommodation full in many markets – which will put pressure on already tight rental markets as students look elsewhere for places to live,” said Torie Brown, executive director of the Student Accommodation Council.

“Governments at all levels need to prioritise the development of new student accommodation because it provides appropriate housing exclusively for students and stops them competing with mums and dads in the rental market.”

Canada

In May 2022, president of Higher Education Strategy Associates Alex Usher said that Canadian post-secondary institutions are “very close to the end of the road on international student number growth” – and cited accommodation as the most likely “blowback”.

David C. Dingwall, president and VC of Cape Breton University addressed housing issues in an open letter dated January 13.

The university saw its enrolment go from 3,300 students in 2018 to nearly 7,000 students in 2023, and has students from 74 countries, but recently warned international students to stay home if they have not secured housing before coming to Canada.

“Despite this, students have still arrived in Cape Breton without long-term accommodations, choosing to stay with friends or in hotel rooms temporarily while they continue their housing search. This practice is not advised by CBU.

“With students scrambling to return earlier than expected, we will see student accommodation full in many markets”

“The bottom line is that CBU needs to do more. We will double down and work even harder with governments, developers, non-profit organisations, students and others to address the housing needs of our students and, of course, assist the broader community,” Dingwall wrote.

The letter also highlighted that every official acceptance letter states that housing and employment opportunities are limited in the local area.

However, advised not to travel without accommodation, and warned not to pay a deposit for a room they have not seen, some students may find themselves in catch 22 situation.

Accommodation scams are reportedly a concern in the area as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Nova Scotia issued a warning in recent weeks.

“Never send a deposit until you’ve had a chance to view the place in person. Agent can’t meet you and there’s urgency to pay? That’s a sign of a scam,” it said, in a Facebook post.

It added that, as of November 30 2022, Canadians have lost $490 million to scammers.

The post Global accommodation woes continue for int’l students appeared first on The PIE News.

The Turkish government has ordered all universities to switch to online learning so that student dormitories can be used to house victims of the earthquakes that struck the country in February. 

The move has been widely criticised by students with some taking to the streets to protest after they were reportedly expelled from dormitories at short notice and left without their belongings. One group of protesters claimed they were detained by police.

Announcement about the Method of Teaching and Education in 2022-2023 Spring Semester pic.twitter.com/eYssHduvCV

— Istanbul Technical University (@itu1773en) February 17, 2023

Many have also spoken out on social media, using the hashtag #onlineegitimistemiyoruz, which translates to “we do not want online education”.

One student wrote on Twitter, “Please don’t make schools online, extend my school as much as you want, but I don’t want to study the last semester of my last year in a tent in my destroyed city. My student ID is perhaps the happiest thing in this situation. Please don’t take this away from me! #onlineegitimistemiyoruz #uzaktan” 

International students in Turkey

An international student in the country told The PIE that while he understood the decision to pivot to distance learning, online classes made it harder for students like him to keep up with lessons, which are conducted in Turkish. 

“I don’t want to study the last semester of my last year in a tent in my destroyed city”

On the day of the first earthquake, İrfan Raehan Prawira, an Indonesian student living in the city of Kayseri, which is approximately 200 miles from the epicentre of the disaster, said that he was woken up at around 4am by tremors. It was “very, very scary,” he said. 

He and his friends followed government advice and went to a nearby shelter. Around 9am, they returned back to their apartment, only to feel the tremors of the second earthquake in the afternoon. 

They have now moved to another city, further away from the earthquake zone. “Praise to God, we are all fine,” he said. 

He will now be studying online until April, after which point classes will be hybrid. He said online classes will be “very difficult” as they will make it harder to understand Turkish, the language of instruction. 

It is unclear how many international students were directly impacted by the earthquakes, but students from countries including Somalia and Azerbaijan are reported to have died in the disaster. 

Some Indonesian students who were in areas damaged by the earthquake have been evacuated by the country’s embassy, but questions remain about whether they will be able to return to Turkey to continue their education. 

Turkey is a popular destination among international students, with 260,000 foreign students in the country in 2022. In 2019, the largest cohorts of students came from countries including Syria, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and Germany.

Our @BME_en colleagues are in #Turkey on a joint mission with @itu1773 to assess the damage made by the recent earthquake.

As a University Alliance our goal is to continue creating frameworks of cooperation to offer support among communities.

Read more https://t.co/DjQh5HMdlE pic.twitter.com/pIXCveXP36

— EELISA European University Alliance (@eelisa_eu) February 13, 2023

Universities support recovery

Universities in Turkey have rallied to support relief efforts, with six institutions launching a fundraiser for students. 

The institutions wrote that the earthquakes had been “devastating” for university students with families in the affected regions. 

“Some were in the region at the time of the earthquake which happened during holidays and experienced it first-hand,” the universities said. “In addition to the emotional toll, these students are now struggling with the financial consequences. Their families, who normally paid their stipends, are no longer able to support them because they themselves lost everything – homes, businesses, jobs. They need our help, and they need it now.”

Meanwhile, academics from Turkey and Syria living in the UK have called on the wider higher education community to support recovery efforts. Writing for LSE on February 15, Nesrin Alrefaai & Ammar Azzouz said that academia had been “largely silent” in the wake of the disaster. 

They called on universities to reach out to Syrian and Turkish staff and students at those institutions, to fundraise, to issue statements of solidarity and to provide support similar to that seen after the invasion of Ukraine. 

“We need spaces of collective solidarity,” the academics wrote. “Not only short-term crisis responses, but spaces which move beyond the moment of shock, and help to move towards healing and recovery. Academia has powerful potential to create this space, and we have a responsibility to utilise it.”

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Student mental health figures are “alarming”, with many international students’ mental health worsening over the course of the pandemic, according to a new study.

Professors at universities from across the world collected data for the study, named Pre and Post-Pandemic (COVID-19) Mental Health of International Students: Data from a Longitudinal Study, which was published in the Dovepress medical journal.

Examining cohorts of international students over a certain period of time, the authors found that lockdowns have overall “worsened problems like loneliness, stress, anxiety and alcohol misuse”.

“[This occurs] particularly in vulnerable populations, because of the isolation they cause, the lack of one-on-one interaction, and the feelings of isolation on major life events,” the study reads.

“[It] indicates that international students’ mental health was good in the pre-pandemic phase compared to their mental health in the post-pandemic phase,” it confirmed.

It has been previously reported in The PIE that international students around the globe have been experiencing issues with their mental health, for various reasons – in Japan, overseas students who hadn’t been able to return to the country to continue their studies saw their mental health decline.

Students who were applying to study in New Zealand were even refraining from reporting poor mental health on visa applications for fear of being rejected.

The pandemic, according to the study, has resulted in long-term effects including a change in behaviour, stress, and previously mentioned depression and anxiety – to the point where some students surveyed were experiencing “emotional and physical disturbances” that were “causing them to wash their hands repeatedly and avoid crowded places”.

One section of the study surveying students in China found that women suffered higher rates of PTS symptoms in “the areas of negative thinking or emotion, re-experiencing and high energy”, as well as younger students showing more symptoms of issues like depression or anxiety than students above the age of 30.

The study concluded that mental problems in students are “alarming” and that universities need to step in to assist with psychological services.

“There is a need to raise awareness about psychological issues during pandemics through multiple media platforms,” the study said.

“[Students] need supportive people who can listen to their problems”

“Covid-19 affected the mental health of international students, so [it would be] helpful for them to take care of their mental health and come into normal lives by getting help from supportive people, with psychological counselling/guidance.

“They need supportive people who can listen to their problems and try to solve their issues,” the study directed.

It also pointed out that those in urban areas are more likely to have more depression and anxiety, both in “pre and post pandemic states”.

“Dealing with the newfound forced independence this age brings, university life is already riddled with mental health vulnerabilities. This new pandemic, shutting down half of the world, produces a new set of worries for people worldwide.

“Even though the physical aspects of the disease are being studied, the mental strains for the lockdown and the fear of the virus have not been given the proper attention,” it added.

The study was spearheaded by the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, and was co-written by professors from various departments at universities in both China and Pakistan.

If you need support, help is available.

Australia
Lifeline: 131 114
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

New Zealand
Lifeline: 0800 543 354

UK
Samaritans: 116 123

US
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988

Canada:
TalkSuicide: 1 833 456 4566

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A new agreement between Cambridge University Press & Assessment and Estonia’s ministry of education and research has been announced, aiming to bolster English language assessment offerings in the country.

The deal follows in the footsteps of the partnership first put together in 2019, which has already seen more than 15,000 Estonian school leavers given the opportunity to take the English C1 Advanced examination instead of their usual school-leaving test.

The usual test in Estonian schools is set at the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages standard.

“We’re delighted to be continuing our work with the Ministry of Education in Estonia, and with our colleagues in Harno,” remarked Hanan Khalifa from Cambridge University Press.

The first intake of C1 Advanced examinations due to be taken under the new agreement is expected to take place in Estonia in Spring 2023.

The renewal of the partnership will enable more than 18,000 Estonian students to take the English C1 test over the next four and a half years, allowing them to gain an English language qualification recognised by universities in Australia, Canada, the UK, the US and elsewhere.

The language examinations will be carried out by the Education and Youth Board (Haridus- ja Noorteamet, also known as Harno), a government agency of the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research tasked with the implementation of the country’s education and youth policies.

“In the previous round of the project, Estonian students consistently achieved results which were significantly higher than the global average for this high-level English exam,” Khalifa added.

“This new phase of the project… shows the confidence the Ministry has in Estonia’s students”

Khalifa praised these results as the outcome of the motivation and commitment displayed by the multiple stakeholders involved in the project, namely parents, students, teachers and the Estonian Ministry.

“This new phase of the project is even more ambitious which shows the confidence the Ministry has in Estonia’s students,” he added.

To celebrate the successful outcome of the first four-year partnership and mark the beginning of the new project, representatives from Cambridge joined Harno at a special event held in Tallinn in December 2022.

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Australia has announced the list of professions and courses that will be eligible for extended post-study work rights from July 1. Eligible programs range from health, technology, education and construction, and have been selected to respond to worker shortages in key sectors, the government said.

The new measures – initially announced in September last year – will allow eligible international higher education graduates to access to an extra two years of post-study work rights. Additionally the work hours cap for international students will be increased from 40 hours to 48 hours per fortnight.

In total, eligible bachelor graduates across the country will see their work rights extended from two to four years, masters from three to five years, while all doctoral graduates will have their rights increased from four to six years.

Included among the list of eligible qualifications – which will be monitored and reviewed on an annual basis – are some 226 courses in medical and nursing, professional health, diagnostic, allied health, teaching, engineering, ICT, agriculture and more.

As courses differ between education providers, some may not be eligible, and the Department of Education will release a comprehensive list mapped to CRICOS course codes before implementation of the policy in July.

The government added that future changes to the qualifications list will not impact students starting eligible courses, meaning if a course is removed from the list, students will still be eligible for the extension on graduation.

Authorities also emphasised that the extension is on top of the existing additional one to two years of post-study work rights for those in regional Australia.

In total, eligible bachelor graduates across the country will see their work rights extended from two to four years, masters from three to five years, while all doctoral graduates will have their rights increased from four to six years.

Doctoral degree graduates represent a “highly-skilled cohort with significant potential for this cohort to contribute to Australia’s economy and society”, the government noted.

The approved two-year post-study work rights visa extensions were announced as the Council for International Education met in Canberra.

Meeting with the Council for International Education today. pic.twitter.com/ZsrOouhP0U

— Jason Clare MP (@JasonClareMP) February 21, 2023

Phil Honeywood welcomed the policy update on social media, writing that together with Council for International Education co-convenor Julian Hill MP, he is “pleased with 24 hour per week work rights from 1 July”.

“Australia needs more skilled workers to ease the current pressures weighing on our labour market and the economy,” Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said.

“Making it easier for more of the talented international graduates our universities educate to use their Australian education in Australia’s cities and regions makes complete sense.”

“Australia needs more skilled workers to ease the current pressures”

Australia’s current skills crisis highlights the urgent need to retain more international students that generate $40.3 billion in economic activity, she continued.

“Hundreds of thousands of international students come to our world-class universities each year, yet very few remain here – just 16%. We are worse off for that, economically and socially..

“Universities Australia has advocated strongly for this change, and we congratulate the Albanese government for its strong leadership and solutions-driven approach to meeting our workforce needs.

“The decision to extend working rights for PhD students, in particular, will provide a significant boost to the development of Australia’s knowledge economy.”

The government’s Post-Study Work Rights Working Group has responded to a report submitted on October 28 last year, in which it said that it supports the 20 recommendations going forward.

The submission had called for eligible qualifications to cover higher education only, the skills priority list to be used to identify occupations, and other measures – such as including the needs of students and graduates in the 2023 migrant worker reform package and clarifying the role of the Fair Work Ombudsman to students – to address the potential exploitation of students and graduates.

While the policy change will be viewed as a huge victory for the Australian international education sector, principal at DXP Consulting, Mary Clarke, did question whether government should be selecting which fields of training are eligible for the extended rights.

“True to its Jobs and Skills Summit undertaking, the government has the extended post study work rights of international graduates. This is of course good news,” she wrote on LinkedIn.

“But … Should the government be picking winners regarding which fields of education are eligible? Would that not distort study choices? And why only take skills shortages into consideration? What about human capital development?”

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A new report from educational consultants ISC Research suggests factors such as increasing diversity, a post-Covid surge and geopolitical events are leading to a flourishing international school sector. 

Overall, the number of international schools around the world has increased by over 50% in the last 10 years – with the figure now at 13,190 – and a 53% rise in student enrolment to 6.5m. That is up from 12,853 schools in 2022.

The report, Why International Schools Keep Opening, examines the growth on a molecular level – especially in parts of Asia where the increase has been the most significant.

In South-Eastern Asia enrolments have grown by 23% over the last five years, with the number of schools in the sub-region increasing from 1,600 to 1,940.

For Tony Evans, head of international relations at Bishop’s Stortford College, the increase in number and the diffusion of international schools worldwide is “an inevitable consequence of the factors highlighted by ISC – with parental aspiration, migration and geo-politics being the main drivers for both recruitment and development strategies”.

Executive director of COBIS, Colin Bell, said the focus on diversity among student bodies was an “incredibly important” facet to the success of international schools.

“In terms of ability, schools aren’t just for the high-performing academic students. Some schools may have a certain selection process, but my belief is that schools should also attract students from all types of different academic backgrounds and neurodiversities as well,” he said, speaking to The PIE.

“As for admissions and marketing, it’s fundamental how schools promote themselves; what images they use of children, of teachers so that it does represent the diversity [in the schools],” he added.

According to the report, governments in developing countries are supporting the expansion of these schools – and their access to families from abroad – “as a solution to quickly improving K-12 education offerings”. 

Those expatriate professional numbers are expanding in any case – to an increasing range of countries, the report says. 

“[There is] the ability of more families to afford private schooling… in many countries of Asia, education is considered a priority investment by many families who can afford it,” it states. 

English being the primary learning language has also seen demand increase, and the lack of “alternative education options that offer globally recognised qualifications”. 

“We are noticing a changing trend in employer benefit packages, with more parents expected to assume direct or partial responsibility for their child’s education costs. The number of self-payers has increased by about 15% over the past three years,” said Julia Love, director of admissions at the International School of Kuala Lumpur. 

“Although self-paying prospective families are more fee-conscious they remain focused on the value a high-quality international education can offer their child,” she continued. 

“The number of self-payers has increased by about 15% over the past three years”

She also talked about the relaxation of the border restrictions in recent months, which has resulted in a hefty rebound – something Evans agrees was much-needed after seeing the impact rules such as China’s zero-tolerance policy on Covid had. 

“It had a disastrous impact on the number of expat students and staff at the plethora of international schools across the UK who were repatriated, and have not returned.

“Many of these schools, leading UK independent schools among them, will be forced to radically downsize or close as a result,” he recounted. 

While Eastern Asia’s five-year growth has still seen a 16% marker, restrictions are still having an impact on continued expansion – host nation children attending international schools in China has been severely limited, and has slightly stagnated enrolment as a result. 

Despite these problems, Katie Rigney-Zimmerman, admissions and marketing director at Saigon South International School in Vietnam said that expats are returning to the region.

“More are coming from regional locations, such as a Bosch employee from India, or an Intel employee from the Philippines, rather than from the US or Europe,” said Rigney-Zimmerman.

She also mentioned British Independent Schools are starting to set up shop, with “strong visibility”. 

“This is helping to raise the conversations about school choices with many families. These schools are changing admissions marketing – for all international schools,” she said.

“The Middle East and UAE in particular [have seen] a record number of international schools opening their doors”

Western Asia, including the Middle East, nevertheless continues to be the “leading subregion” in terms of enrolment in international schools – with 1.9m attending schools in Western Asia. The number of schools having been pushed over the 2,000 mark in the last five years. 

“The Middle East and UAE in particular [have seen] a record number of international schools opening their doors (or will be opening imminently) since the early part of 2022, when most Covid restrictions were lifted and expats returned in their droves,” Evans noted. 

The white paper points to a “significant increase” in expats from China, Russia and Ukraine especially, as well as South and Southeast Asia, reasons cited included a result of crisis, educational restrictions in their own countries or employment reasons.

Despite this, Bell noted that the raft of new schools that are opening up may not just be high-end, premium schools, but will “give way to more affordable fee structures”, allowing more students access to the international school experience.  

As such, the report touched on how the market has already seen some segmenting by fee level. Increased demand by people with “different financial means” has led to further diversification of the student body. The International School of Kuala Lumpur, according to Love, now hosts over 70 nationalities in its halls. 

“The increasing diversity of our student body is also reflected in parent interest in the diversity of our teachers. Previously questions focused on North America, whereas now we are getting more questions from parents who value a diverse faculty,” she added. 

Bell did warn that while the rate at which international schools opening spells good things for the sector, these schools need to make sure that quality assurance is part of their portfolio when they open.

“The sector is growing – that’s one thing – but is it growth with quality? That’s what regulators would be concerned with.

“COBIS is supporting a lot of schools in the Middle East and Asia that are either about to set up, and talking to us about how we can do the external validation – it’s important to reassure families, students and parents, but also regulators like Ministry of Education.

“If parents are going to pay those fees, they want a decent school that’s going to look after you and whose core purpose is safeguarding child protection and helping students thrive,” he added.

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Kaplan International will recruit international students for a wide array of graduate and undergraduate programs at University of Victoria under a new agreement.

The first cohort of students recruited through the partner is expected to join the university in British Columbia in September 2023.

“We’re thrilled about this partnership which will truly bring UVic to the forefront for students around the world,” said Kevin Hall, UVic president and vice-chancellor.

“We’re uniquely positioned on Canada’s incredible West Coast, a location that inspires our commitment to people and our planet,” he said, adding that the institution is tackling some of the world’s biggest problems and takes “great pride” in ranking second globally for climate action.

It is the first Canadian university pathway partnership for Kaplan, which until now has focused on UK, US, Australia and New Zealand.

However, Kaplan operates as a recruitment partner of Northeastern University in the US, for which the pathway provider offers international students masters opportunities at its regional campus in Toronto.

Kaplan also pointed to UVic’s research reputation – it is among the top one percent of the world’s universities for scientific impact according to the 2022 Leiden University Rankings. In addition, Times Higher Education’s 2021 Global University Employability Ranking puts it at number one in the country for preparing career-ready students.

“We are delighted to be working with UVic,” Rob Regan, Kaplan’s managing director for university partnerships in Canada, said.

“The university has a real story to tell as they expand their dynamic learning opportunities and international networks to address the environment, sustainability, social issues and more.”

International students make up some 20% of the student population, with more than 4,000 enrolled from 118 countries. In addition to ranking second in North America for international research collaboration, that makes UVic “an excellent fit with Kaplan’s expertise in supporting international students while they study abroad”, Regan continued.

“The university has a real story to tell”

“We look forward to supporting UVic achieve their international expansion ambitions,” Regan added.

The UVic International Plan 2017-2022 had a range of aims including creating a culture of student mobility, enhancing the international student experience, international research partnerships and more.

“We support our students with new opportunities for bright futures through domestic and overseas exchanges and paid job placements that give students up to two years of work experience with four different employers,” Hall added.

Kaplan has partnerships with 16 UK universities – the latest being TEDI London – as well as four key partnerships at US institutions, three in Australia and Massey in New Zealand.

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