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Global opportunities: The ever-increasing demand for international graduate education
The rapid rise in the popularity of studying for a Masters or a PhD abroad only looks set to continue. As moving abroad for education becomes mainstream and universities worldwide go out of their way to attract overseas students TIM ROGERS looks at these and other trends in the graduate world today, and how the wise prospective applicant can use this understanding to advantage
There is certainly a sense today that the appetite and demand for international Masters and PhD programs is greater than ever before. More universities and colleges are aware of the positive impact international graduate students potentially have on their student body, while prospective students see advanced study, particularly away from their country, as a valuable asset in the development of their careers. It would appear that the appetite for international education is almost insatiable.
With such a hunger has come a great deal of innovation and change, the likes of which have never been seen in the 40 or so years that moving abroad for international education has become mainstream. Australian universities now teach Masters programs and provide tutorial support for international PhD candidates throughout Asia; banks and other financial institutions actively encourage graduate students to fund their international studies through flexible and low interest loans; mainstream UK universities offer their Masters programs online and in association with private US companies; and countries as diverse as Denmark, Estonia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates encourage students from all over the world to read graduate degrees in their institutions, supported by a range of special measures that include advantageous immigration policies and financial aid.
Are there other discernible trends in the graduate world today? Undoubtedly so and a review of some of the most significant can provide useful information for the prospective applicant to an international grad school.
Since 2000, the number of students enrolled in international higher education has increased worldwide by 50 per cent, underlining the rapid rise in popularity.
Growing numbers
Statistics released from national and international agencies indicate that the popularity of international study, and graduate-level education in particular, continues to grow. The most recent data from UNESCO and OECD, although not specifically split by academic level, confirms that the number of students pursuing education away from their home country has increased by 4.9 per cent, or an additional 127,336 in absolute numbers, on the previous data year bringing the total to 2.73 million students. Since 2000, the number of students enrolled in international higher education has increased worldwide by 50 per cent, underlining the rapid rise in popularity of this kind of study experience.
An Australian Government study released towards the end of 2007 indicates how the number of internationally mobile students is likely to rise in the coming years. By 2025 it is predicted that 3.72 million students will travel internationally for some part of their university-level education, a growth of 71 per cent over 20 years, or 2.7 per cent annually. Interestingly, the demand for international education is not even across all world regions and it is anticipated that most of the growth in demand will come from Sub-Saharan Africa (growing at 3.9 per cent annually over the next 17 years), the Middle East (4.5 per cent), South Asia (4.5 per cent), Central America (3.5 per cent) and Oceania (5.5 per cent). On the current forecasting model being used by the Australians, the demand will be greatest amongst Syrian (8.3 per cent), Pakistani (5.4 per cent) and Bangladeshi (4.9 per cent) students, although in actual volume, China (645,190 students), India (302,220) and South Korea (127,410) will produce the largest number of internationally mobile university students.
With a shift in the global economy, as many observers agree, to a more knowledge-based structure, the demand for highly skilled, internationally literate graduates is not likely to diminish. According to the Australian study, depending on the future nature of the world’s economy, demand for graduate-level international education is likely to outstrip that for other programs in the next couple of years and by 2025, 62 per cent of mobile international students will either pursue a Masters or PhD program in another country. Data from the QS World Grad School Tour underlines how buoyant the interest in international Masters and PhD study already currently is: 8,000 more prospective students attended one of the graduate-focused events in 2007 than in the previous year, an increase of 30 per cent amongst those students most actively considering their future choices for advanced study.
