News
Increase in International Numbers
Wales higher education welcomed more than 6,200 international students this year, a resounding endorsement for quality education and student experience. The results, released ahead of the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) annual statistics count, show a 4.3% increase in numbers on last year.
The Wales statistics are particularly impressive in relation to the current climate for international recruitment which has seen a major down-turn over the past year. A recent survey conducted by Universities UK shows that the number of international students has dropped by an average of 12% across the UK higher education sector with many universities reporting a significant loss in revenues*.
The results were released last week by the Wales International Consortium (WIC), an organisation representing all higher education in Wales and responsible for recruiting international students to study in Wales. Since the organisation was established in 2003, the number of international students studying in Wales has increased by more than 22%, impacting on both the higher education sector and the local economy.
International students studying in Wales will bring more than £52 million in tuition fees alone this year, plus a similar amount income to the local economy. The industry is now worth in excess of £100 million.
Courses such as Engineering, Computer Science and Mobile Communications have all proved attractive to international students this year, with international enrolments totalling over 800 in these subjects alone. In particular, students from China, India and Malaysia have chosen these subjects as beneficial to their career development with the strong student representation from China and India, the two fastest growing economies in the world.
Such programmes reflect Wales’s own international reputation in research and development, supporting growth sectors such as Aerospace, Software and Telecommunications. With a clear relationship between research expertise and economic growth, university institutions in Wales have successfully developed programmes that are relevant to evolving national and global economies.
Steve Lawrence, Chair of WIC said “Wales is committed to ensuring that international students develop the professional skills and expertise demanded by evolving economies both in their own country and on a global basis”
International students are also attracted to Wales for the quality of student experience offered. The results of the National Students Survey, available on-line to international students, provide information about teaching quality, academic support and learning resources and give an overall satisfaction rating (where 5 is the highest grade) for full-time courses.
Students studying Engineering at the University of Wales Swansea testified to their top quality student experience by awarding a satisfaction grade of 4.2, with the highest country density representation coming from China, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. Students studying Computer Science at the University of Wales Aberystwyth awarded their course a satisfaction grade of 4.1. Again, China was heavily represented in international recruitment at the University of Wales Aberystwyth, followed closely by Singapore.
Student satisfaction for teaching and learning in Wales was further endorsed across a range of Business, Management and Accounting programmes with students at the University of Glamorgan giving their Business and Management programmes a satisfaction grade of 4.1. International student recruitment onto these programmes showed Nigeria as an emerging recruitment country for Wales with heavy secondary representation from Pakistan, Taiwan and Hong Kong at the University of Wales Bangor. Students studying Finance and Accounting programmes at the University of Wales Bangor gave their programmes grade of 4.1 for personal development, testifying to the quality of their learning experience.
“We’re delighted that so many international students are coming to study in Wales” said Iwan Roberts, Head of the International Office at the University of Wales Bangor and Member of the WIC Board. “We’ve always had a strong reputation for attracting discerning students – it’s great to see that international students are really doing their homework and choosing Wales for quality”.