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CIAO Focus, September 2006: International Higher Education

Approximately 2 million students worldwide are enrolled at institutions of education outside their home countries. The United States hosts significantly more international students than any other country with 30 percent of the world total, while the European Union (as a whole) receives 47 percent of this total, and Australia receives 10 percent.

For the second year in a row now, the U.S. registered a slight downturn in international student enrollment: a 1.3 percent drop in 2004/05 compared to the 2.4 percent drop the previous year. The decline can be attributed to a number of factors including stricter student visa policies following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, rising U.S. tuition costs, increased competition from other English speaking nations, perceptions abroad that foreign students are not welcome in the U.S., and increased capacity in the home countries of international students to provide better higher education.

Europe is also facing formidable challenges. To meet the demands of globalization, 26 European countries (including Turkey) are currently taking part in an educational reform movement, known as the Bologna Process, aimed at unifying their disparate systems of higher education. A key feature of Bologna is the phasing out of Europe's traditional long degrees in favor of a two-tiered system based on bachelor's and master's degrees. The Bologna Process is scheduled for completion by 2010.

This month CIAO examines international higher education.

Internationalisation of Higher Education

Open Doors and Secure Borders: U.S. Student Visa Policy in the post 9/11 World

An International Education Policy: For U.S. Leadership, Competitiveness, and Security

E-learning in Tertiary Education

Disentangling the Reform Gridlock: Higher Education in Germany

Facing Historic Challenges in U.S. International Education: The Role of International Outreach

Outside Links*:

Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange (IIE)
http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/

The Bologna Process (World Education Services)
http://www.wes.org/ewenr/bolognaprocess.htm

European Association for International Education
http://www.eaie.org/

International Bureau of Education Databanks (UNESCO)
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/DBA.htm

The Boston College Center for International Higher education
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/

* Outside links are not maintained. For broken outside links, CIAO recommends the Way Back Machine.