Last month, Moody’s released an investor update headlined,   “Universities with strongest brands, significant scale, highest debt levels best positioned for coronavirus challenges.”  While that may be true for the strongest universities, the increased demand for higher education that will inevitably follow the COVID-19 pandemic means that institutional relevance and the agility necessary to respond to shifting market dynamics will be just as important as scale of brand and strength of the balance sheet when it comes to survival.

Continue reading “Only the Strong Survive? It Ain’t Necessarily So.” →

More than two months ago, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced formal lockdown measures to combat the rise in new COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom.  For many in the U.K., that announcement signaled the start of physical distancing.  However, Qingying Lin, Chinese-language support officer at INTO Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), recalls that her centre had moved all face-to-face learning and extracurricular support online by March 18—five days before the PM’s announcement.

INTO’s 10 other U.K. centres transitioned to digital provision along similar timelines, which means that they have now passed 10 weeks of distance education and support of their respective international student cohorts.  Perhaps paradoxically, what has struck our student support teams most during quarantine is the togetherness they and their students have maintained across that distance—a testament to their agility and resilience.

Continue reading “What matters most: Togetherness in INTO’s U.K. centres during COVID-19” →

I was delighted to participate in a webinar hosted by the Center for Studies in Higher Education at University of California, Berkeley on May 7, exploring the extent to which COVID-19 will shape international student mobility.  The full seminar is available on YouTube, but I outline my thoughts on the ways in which the Asian financial crisis of 1997 might provide some insight into how sudden shocks can alter the trajectory of global student mobility below.

Continue reading “COVID-19 in context: What can we learn from previous shocks to tertiary mobility?” →

Before the COVID-19 outbreak led universities in Europe and North America to implement physical distancing policies, universities in China had to face the emerging realities of what is now a global pandemic.  In partnership with Nankai University, INTO has seen a cohort of 43 international students through a campus lockdown and University-wide transition to online learning since late January.  Now, they are helping students adapt to life under less stringent quarantine measures.

Continue reading “First-wave supporters: INTO China sees international students through COVID-19 crisis” →

Even in the best of times, international students’ decision to travel across the globe in search of education opportunities is courageous.  Their journey is one of hope, aspiration, and, of course, some trepidation as they step into the unknown.  When these students embarked on their studies abroad this year, however, a global pandemic added new layers of concern and uncertainty to their experience, sending them into uncharted waters.

The jobs of student experience specialists on whom these students rely to help them navigate uncertainty in their studies has never been so critical or challenging as they are during the COVID-19 crisis.  We reached out to colleagues on the front lines across INTO’s university partnerships in the United States to learn more about their all-hands-on-deck approach to supporting international students in these uncertain times.

Continue reading “All hands on deck: Helping international students navigate the COVID-19 crisis” →

Ahead of this year’s university application cycle, international students at the INTO London World Education Centre escaped a dreary, late-January afternoon to attend the Centre’s seventh annual Progression Fair. 

Held at Chapter Spitalfields, the residence INTO students share with other international students in the heart of London’s East End, the event gave students the chance to learn about the vast array of programmes on offer directly from university representatives.  With 62 of INTO’s affiliate universities in the United Kingdom represented, and with 140 INTO students in attendance, it was the largest progression fair the Centre has had to date.

Continue reading ““Hundreds of potential futures” at the INTO London Progression Fair” →

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As 2019 concludes, those in the international education community in the United States have much to reflect on.  In November, the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) 70^th Open Doors Report revealed that it has been a uniquely challenging year for international student enrollment.  Although the nationwide decline in new international student enrollments (NSEs) slowed from -6.6% in 2017/18 to -0.9% in 2018/19, 51% of American higher education institutions reported a decrease in NSEs in 2019.

For INTO’s 12 American university partners, however, there were a great deal of international student enrollment and education milestones in 2019—proof that there is every reason to believe things can only get better in the American international education realm.

Continue reading “INTO North America: Year in review” →

To kick off International Education Week, the Institute of International Education (IIE) released its 70^th Open Doors Report, outlining international student mobility trends in the United States during the 2018/19 academic year.  The report indicated that there was a 0.05% increase in the total number of international students in the U.S. in 2018/19, 52% of whom were pursuing degrees or completing optional practical training (OPT) in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).

Continue reading “Paradigm shift: The rise of STEM among international students” →

To kick off International Education Week this past Monday, the Institute of International Education (IIE) released its 70^th Open Doors Report outlining international student mobility trends in the United States during the 2018/19 academic year.  Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce commenced the release by lauding the nation’s status as the most popular study destination for international students, attracting more than one million international students for the fourth year in a row. 

The report also indicated that there was a decrease in the 6.6 percent declines in new international student enrollments (NSEs) in 2017/18 to 0.9 percent in 2018/19, evidence that suggests the two-year drop in international enrollments has stabilized.

Continue reading “Open Doors Report 2019: Things can only get better” →

This month, October 2019 marks the tenth anniversary of the launch of the INTO Queen’s University of Belfast partnership. A perfect time to look back and reflect on the journey so far.  

Continue reading “INTO Queen’s at Ten” →