Europe

Germany

Drop-out Numbers High Among Three-year Degree Students

A recent study suggests that the drop-out rate among students undertaking Germany’s new three-year bachelor’s degree is very high. According to the study by Hochschul-Informations-System , a German research center, one in four university students drops out, while 39 percent of students at universities of applied sciences (fachhochschulen) do not complete their programs.

The bachelor's degree is the first stage of the new three-cycle system being introduced at German universities and across Europe under the reforms of the Bologna Process. The reasons for the high drop-out rates are not speculated upon in the study, although they are not considered a direct implication of the Bologna Process. Drop-out rates vary greatly by subject, and in some fields are lower than under the traditional five-year program. Since the introduction of the three-cycle structure, the subjects of medicine, biology, law and social sciences have begun to retain more students. The fields of study with the highest drop-out rates, engineering, natural and cultural sciences, have traditionally been high. One argument for these numbers can be found in the results of a survey conducted by the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers, which concluded that teaching staff at German universities feel overburdened by the introduction of the three-cycle structure, leaving them less time for teaching and research.

- DAAD
March newsletter

Ireland

Government Undecided on University Upgrades

There are currently seven universities and 14 institutes of technology in Ireland. Similar to the former British polytechnics in the 1990s, some of those institutes are now demanding an upgrade to university status. Leading the charge is the Waterford Institute of Technology , which currently describes itself as a “university-level institution,” and has the backing of its local member of parliament.

The Cabinet will decide soon whether it will allow a formal review of Waterford's case under the 1997 Universities Act. However, with this campaign has come the revival of the larger and longer established Dublin Institute of Technology ’s campaign for university status. And in February the Cork Institute of Technology said it wanted to be known as a technological university.

The government commissioned a report from an independent consultancy into the Waterford application, the results of which stated that Waterford had a case, while warning that this would have implications for other institutions. With the report hedging its bets, the final decision has been left up to the government; one it has yet to make, and one that could be politically unpopular.

- RTE News
February 20, 2008

Netherlands

New Logo for New International Higher Education Marketing Image

Dutch higher education is getting a new logo as it seeks to brand itself among internationally mobile students. Nuffic developed the new brand and logo on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture & Science and in close cooperation with the Dutch higher education community, the overseas network of Netherlands Education Support Offices and a focus group of international students. The new brand will be given a prominent place in all media for the Study in Holland campaign, which Nuffic runs each year to promote higher education in the Netherlands.

- ACA Secretariat
February 2008

Spain

50,000 Scholarships Offered to Study English Abroad

For the second consecutive year, the Spanish Ministry of Education is offering more than 50,000 scholarships to 18 to 30 year-old students who already have government grants and wish to improve their English language skills abroad.

- AEI Newsletter
March 19, 2008

Bologna Reforms to Result in 4-Year First Degrees

Spanish universities are currently in the process of restructuring their programs to conform with a 2007 Royal decree which outlines a framework for the reorganization of studies to meet standards outlined through the Europe-wide reforms of the Bologna Process. The European Diploma Supplement will be introduced and university study will be quantified through the European Credit Transfer System. The length of the bachelor’s degree, however, will likely be four years as opposed to the recommended three-year bachelor degrees.

- AEI Newsletter
March 19, 2008

Sweden

Higher Ed Agency Recommends University Closures to Improve international Standing

The Swedish National Agency for Higher Education has advocated that the country reduce the number of universities operating in the country as a means of increasing the quality of research and as a means of improving Swedish universities international competitiveness. As a side note, the Swedish Confederation of Business is arguing for the introduction of fees for Non-EU students to build a new service ‘export’ sector in the Swedish economy.

- AEI
March 5, 2008

United Kingdom

20 New University Campuses

The British government has announced plans to build as many as 20 new campuses across the country under an initiative to greatly expand access to tertiary opportunities. Towns will be invited to enter bids for the right to have a new campus or college in their area, the government announced in March. The new campuses could be linked to existing universities or could be entirely new institutions. In addition to increasing university access, the move is aimed at regenerating towns with high unemployment.

The Guardian newspaper reported that one likely location is the town of Peterborough. The consultation, to be led by the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE), will underline the importance of universities and higher education provision to regenerating local areas. It will argue that new local provision could help unlock the talent of around six million adults who have qualifications no higher than the equivalent of A-levels. Ministers believe that many of them would consider a degree-level course if it was available at a convenient place and time.

In the last five years, 11 towns or regions have hosted new universities and new higher-education provision. Education officials have agreed to fund projects in a further seven areas, but ministers aim to improve the process so that in the next six years an additional 20 sites will open or have government funding committed.

- The Guardian
March 2, 2008

Malaysian University in London: A New Paradigm?

There are not many foreign universities setting up shop in the United Kingdom, nor in any major education-exporting nation for that matter. Those institutions that do establish in developed higher education markets typically come from other develop markets: think Chicago University in London, Carnegie Mellon and Cranfield University in South Australia or Temple University in Japan. Recently, however, that paradigm has shifted with the opening of a private Malaysian university in the British capital.

Limkokwing University of Creative Technology opened its London campus a year ago, and enrolls almost exclusively foreign students, putting it in direct competition with British universities, which are increasingly reliant on the tuition fees garnered from overseas enrollments. The university offers programs in design, business, IT, multimedia, and communications, media and broadcasting. While some institutions may see this beachhead as a threat, others are welcoming it as an opportunity. Both Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Bedfordshire are already in partnership with Limkokwing or have the wheels in motion. The partnership agreements allow students, typically less academically qualified than the average British university student, to study for two degrees: one from Limkokwing and one from the British partner.

Students undertaking the dual degree program come to the UK after having completed the first two years of their degree program at the Kuala Lumpur campus. They complete the program with one year in the UK split between the Limkokwing campus and the British partner university. Students are charged the same fees as they would expect to pay at any other British university, somewhere between US$14,000 and $20,000. While the Malaysian portion of the degree program is not subject to British quality assurance regulations, students are guaranteed a recognized British degree through the partner university if they undertake the dual degree program.

- The Independent
March 20, 2008

Scottish University Announces Singapore Campus Plans

Queen Margaret University (QMU) would become the first British university to open a campus in Singapore if plans announced in February for the opening of QMU Asia Campus come to fruition. The initiative is a joint project with the Singapore-based East Asia Institute of Management. The two institutions have been collaborating for the past seven years, and have now signed a memorandum of understanding to work toward the establishment of a joint venture company based in Singapore.

The partners currently offer programs in hospitality and tourism management; business management; and events management. Future plans for the QMU Asia campus include the development of courses in banking and finance.

- The Herald
February 20, 2008