Asia Rising The State of International Education
1 Contents
Part One Macro Trends 04
Part Two Regional Overview 08
Part Three Course Details 15
Part Four Supply and Demand 19
Part Five Conclusion 22 3
Asia Rising
“The 21st century will be the Asian century. This is overdue and inevitable. A surge of investment in higher education is already taking place in Asia, which will accompany the emergence of the Asian century.”
Kishore Mahbubani &Tan Eng Chye
National University of Singapore Macro Trends
4 5
Macro Trends
Asia Rising
At the moment, there are more than 5 million students who attract a greater share of the world’s mobile students, aiming are undertaking their education outside of their home to host 250,000 foreign students by 2025; in fact, Malaysia countries – a number three times that of international currently remains one of the top 10 destinations for student enrolments in 1990. By 2022, the number of postsecondary education in the world according to UNESCO. internationally mobile students is expected to reach 7 million. Most of the growth in international education comes In this report, we will look at what the current situation is with from students in Asian countries who are looking to study respect to English-taught academic degrees in Asia, in order abroad, usually in English. to identify future growth trends in the region.
Student mobility - like many other economic and social StudyPortals has detailed information about all of the Asian principles – conforms to the laws of offer and demand; that universities ranked in the top 1,500 universities worldwide. is, popular study destinations, where university programmes Within Asia, the report specifically covers the top Asian appeal most to international students – countries such as the countries offering English-taught programmes; this sample United States, United Kingdom and Australia – are, includes over 2,638 study programmes taught in English unsurprisingly, also the countries with the highest offers of across Malaysia, China, Taiwan, South Korea, or Japan, to English-taught programmes around the world. name a few top countries.
With the rise of China and India to the top 10 most powerful These are just the latest developments in an increasingly economies in the world (or, even with, South Korea currently internationally-diverse higher education sector. More and holding the 15th place) has stimulated to an increase in more countries are committed to internationalized higher demand for higher education. These three countries are also education. Often, these initiatives are not only driven by leading source countries for globally-mobile students; one in universities, but are integral to governmental policies, every six international students comes from China, while national strategies, and legislation initiatives. Asian students comprise more than a quarter of the world’s mobile students. “Increased commitment towards international higher education is evidenced through countries’ [national] Asia will see the highest growth of tertiary students in the strategies, some of which are reflected in reformed higher coming years; but it is also preparing to shift focus from education legislations. These are strong signals of readiness sending students to study abroad, to also welcoming them on to engage internationally and to support their higher campus. education systems’ global positioning.” (British Council, ICEF Monitor) Higher education in Asia is undergoing a profound transformation, where many countries have set up ambitious goals to attract more international students. This has resulted in the emergence of English Taught Programmes, ETP, at several institutions all over the region.
More Asian countries are vowing to attract more international students. Taiwan recently announced plans to court 30,000 more international students by 2019. China already attracted nearly 440,000 international students in 2016 - 11.4% more than the previous year. Chinese universities are also breaking into top global rankings for the first time, making them more appealing to prospective international students. At the same time, the Chinese higher education system continues to expand at an incredible pace. Malaysia similarly is poised to 6
Macro Trends
Important Developments in Asian Higher Education (ICEF Monitor)
China’s higher education system continues to expand at a breakneck pace. Enrolment levels Japan is setting its For the first time, China and participation rates all recruitment sights on the had a (record-high) total of sharply follow an upward ASEAN region; and nine institutions who trend; and the system Japanese institutions placed in the Times Higher continues to grow at owe much of their recent Education World roughly the equivalent of enrolment growth to Reputation Rankings for one new university per students from Southeast 2016. week. Asian markets.
China China Japan
Philippines China The Philippines has China is now the leading become an host for international increasingly popular branch campuses. China destination for English is home to more than one Language Training in four new IBCs (26%) (ELT) - particularly so that started since 2011, for students from and continues to attract Japan and Korea. new IBC ventures today. 7
Macro Trends
Important Developments in Asian Higher Education (ICEF Monitor)
The Indian government has approved a proposal to open admissions to up to 10,000 foreign students so they can attend the country’s premier engineering China currently hosts institutes. This marks the about 70,000 students first time that admission from Southeast Asia, to the Indian Institutes of and aims to expand Technology (IITs) has been that base to 100,000 opened to overseas students in the coming students. year. India China
Hong Kong Malaysia Taiwan Hong Kong is now Malaysia continues to build Taiwan’s Ministry of ranked 8th place (by its international enrolment, Education has announced higher education data and aims to host 250,000 plans to increase the firm QS) among the best foreign students by 2025. country’s international cities for students in the Since 2014, Malaysia has student enrolment to up to world - behind only jumped in the rankings – from 58,000 by 2019 – a Paris, Melbourne, 12th place to 9th place - in significant increase from Tokyo, Sydney, London, UNESCO’s latest International roughly the 28,000 Singapore, and Student Mobility Survey. enrolments they have today Montreal. Regional Overview
8 9
Regional Overview
“Young people are no longer raised with the idea that there is a dominant West. A global system of multiple poles of attraction is emerging where higher education will not be dominated by the Ivy League.”
Alessia Lefébure
Columbia University 10
Regional Overview
Asia as a Study Destination
Because Asian universities are keen to compete at an Among each country, the spread of English-taught international level - and are continuing to go up in programmes is not evenly distributed, with some countries international rankings - many are shifting towards not only offering the majority of ETPs, while others having far more attracting local talent, but also international students. modest ETP offerings.
India, for instance, has the third largest higher education To understand these numbers better though, we need to dive system in the world (after China and the United States) in deeper into specifics of available ETP and their distribution terms of enrolment. However, international students in India among higher education institutions in these countries. In are few. Until recently, the main focus on student mobility in Asia, internationally-oriented higher education institutions India has been towards outward mobility. Despite India offer, on average, 16 study programmes taught in English – having over 728 universities and some 37,200 colleges, few although, this number is influenced by Malaysia, where of them are internationally-oriented, thereby barring access teaching in English is the norm. If we remove Malaysia, the to non-Indian students. average drops to 14 ETPs per university. China has the largest number of higher education institutions, offering 51 ETPs, China, on the other hand, has been steadily shifting its followed by Taiwan with 28, Japan with 19, and Israel with policies to not only attracting international students by 11. Among 16 Asian countries, English-taught programmes introducing courses taught in English; but also to retaining are only offered at a few select universities. This indicates global talent following graduation by giving graduates the that internalization efforts still have a long way to go in order skills necessary to stay in the country. For students following to catch up with European universities. These countries medical degrees, for example, Chinese universities also focus include Jordan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Other countries, though on teaching Mandarin, allowing students to enter Chinese each only offer ETPs at one institution, do have a higher hospitals for their internships and, afterwards, for medical number of ETPs considering these institutions are ones that practice. specialize in English teaching.
There are currently over 2,638 fully English-taught degree In terms of what international students can choose to study at programmes in Asia; and they are, for the most part, equally Asian universities, the offer is dominated by Engineering & distributed among undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Technology courses and Business & Management courses, making up almost half of the study opportunities. This While Asia is still behind in terms of the number of study distribution is, for instance, different from that of Europe, programmes it offers for international students, universities where most programmes are focused on Business & there still offer a third of the total number of studies available Management (18%) or Social Sciences (16%), while in Oceania, which includes higher education hotspots such as Engineering & Technology programmes only make up 9% of Australia or New Zealand. The number of programmes Asia the total offer. offers might be only a third of that in continental Europe; yet, just 9 years ago, the number of English-taught Masters in Overall, Asian universities are in a transitional period, looking Europe was an eighth of what it is today. Asia has started late to expand towards recruiting more international students, with its internationalization process ; but Asian countries and developing comprehensive policies and regulations to have an enormous expansion capacity. Countries in Europe, support this shift. by contrast, are reaching their maximum capacity for introducing international programmes, while still catering to national students.
Looking at the top twenty countries (in terms of English- taught programmes), the Asian countries who take the lead are Malaysia and China, at 14th place and 15th place (respectively). Looking at the number of universities and colleges offering ETP programmes, the numbers change a bit: especially outside of Anglophone countries, universities tend to offer a lower ratio of ETP programmes compared to their general offer.
Overall, of the top 1,500 universities in the world (according to the Webometrics ranking), many of these are located in Asia; and among those universities,180 of them offer English-taught programmes at either the Bachelor’s or Master’s level. 11
Regional Overview
Asian Countries with Most English-Taught Programmes Based on StudyPortals data, February 2017
Malaysia
China
Taiwan
Hong Kong (SAR)
Japan
Israel
United Arab Emirates
Singapore
South Korea
India
Thailand
Qatar
Kazakhstan
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Most English-taught programmes within Asia are located in these differences may seem wide, if you add all individual Malaysia (with offers of 639 study programmes), followed by offerings that exist at the country-level, Asia is quickly China (with an offer of 612 programmes) and Taiwan (with an catching up with Oceania, already offering approximately offer of 211 programmes). By comparison, New Zealand, the 50% of what their competitors offer. Considering Australian second most popular destination in the Asia-Pacific region, universities rely heavily on Asian students, this translates an offers 820 English-taught programmes; while the giant in the increased competition regionally. area – Australia – offers a staggering 6,327 study programmes for prospective international students. Though 12
Regional Overview
Degree Types in Asian Universities Based on StudyPortals data, February 2017
Malaysia
China
Taiwan
Hong Kong (SAR)
Japan
Israel
United Arab Emirates
Singapore
India
Thailand
Qatar
South Korea
Kazakhstan
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Bachelor studies Master studies
While most Asian countries offer a balance of Bachelor’s and spectrum, Malaysia, Qatar, and China present a stronger focus Master’s degrees for international students, others on Bachelor’s degrees for international students, accounting demonstrate a more clear emphasis towards offering either for 57%-67% of all English-taught programmes in the area. Bachelor ‘s or Master’s degrees for international students. For instance, Japan, while offering 148 study programmes in total, is more focused on Master degrees, offering only 19% of its programmes at the Bachelor’s level. The situation is rather similar in South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. At the opposite 13
Regional Overview
Degree Type Composition in Asian Universities Based on StudyPortals data, February 2017
South Korea
Japan
Taiwan
Thailand
Israel
Singapore
India
Kazakhstan
Hong Kong (SAR)
United Arab Emirates
China
Qatar
Malaysia
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Bachelor studies Master studies 14
Regional Overview
Degree Type Composition in Asian Universities Based on StudyPortals data, February 2017
Country Bachelor studies Master studies Total studies
Malaysia 431 208 639
China 348 264 612
Taiwan 60 151 211
Hong Kong (SAR) 108 101 209
South Korea 11 43 164
Japan 28 120 148
Israel 52 88 140
United Arab Emirates 74 58 132
Singapore 48 78 126
India 39 53 92
Thailand 26 63 89
Qatar 51 31 82
Kazakhstan 19 21 40 Course Details
15 16
English Requirements
English Requirements for Studying in Asia Based on StudyPortals data, February 2017
6.8
6.6
6.4
6.2
6.0
5.8
5.6
5.4 Africa Asia Europe North America Oceania
Average IELTS Bachelor level Average IELTS Score Master Level
In the context of English-language qualifications, IELTS is still requirements include Lebanon and Singapore; while on the one of the most popular tests to measure English proficiency, lower end, countries with more lenient English-language with 50% of study programmes accepting it as a proficiency requirements include: Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, and test. On average, Asian universities, on average, require an Qatar. IELTS score of 5.9 for a Bachelor’s degrees, and a score of 6.1 for a Master’s degrees. Most universities will accept a 5.5. or 6.0 IELTS score for a Bachelor’s degree, and a 6.0 or a 6.5 IELTS for Master’s degree.
The countries with the most demanding English-language 17
English Requirements
IELTS Average Admission Requirements per Country Based on StudyPortals data, February 2017
Lebanon
Singapore
Armenia
Israel
Hong Kong (SAR)
United Arab Emirates
Malaysia
China
Japan
Qatar
South Korea
Thailand
Taiwan
- 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0
IELTS Master studies IELTS Bachelor studies 18
Study Disciplines
Study Disciplines Overview Based on StudyPortals data, February 2017
Engineering & Technology
Business & Management
Social Sciences
Humanities
Arts, Design & Architecture
Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Computer Science & IT
Medicine & Health
Education & Training
Journalism & Media
Applied Sciences & Professions
Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences
Law
Hospitality, Leisure & Sports
Agriculture & Forestry
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
In terms of which subjects students can study at Asian including Agriculture and Forestry (0.6%), Hospitality, Leisure universities, the majority of the courses offered are within the & Sports (1%), Law (1%), Environmental Studies (1%), fields of: Engineering & Technology (21%), Business & Applied Sciences & Professions (2%), Journalism & Media Management (16%) and Social Sciences (13%). Some (2%). disciplines are underrepresented at Asian universities, Supply and Demand 20
Supply and Demand
Supply and Demand for Asian Bachelor Studies Based on StudyPortals data, February 2017
Business & Management
Social Sciences
Engineering & Technology
Medicine & Health
Computer Science & IT
Arts, Design & Architecture
Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Humanities
Hospitality, Leisure & Sports
Law
Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences
Education & Training
Journalism & Media
Applied Sciences & Professions
Agriculture & Forestry
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
% of Total Page Views % of Studies
This figure shows the relative demand (percentage of page views) following disciplines: Business & Management, Engineering & and relative supply (percentage of studies) per discipline, relative Technology, Arts, Design & Architecture, and, lastly, Hospitality, to other Bachelor’s degree disciplines at Asian universities Leisure & Sports.
The greatest demand is for the following disciplines: Business & Management (24%), Engineering & Technology (23%) and Arts, Design & Architecture (10%).
More interestingly, the demand outweighs the supply for the 21
Supply and Demand
Supply and Demand for Asian Master Studies Based on StudyPortals data, February 2017
Business & Management
Social Sciences
Engineering & Technology
Medicine & Health
Computer Science & IT
Arts, Design & Architecture
Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Humanities
Hospitality, Leisure & Sports
Law
Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences
Education & Training
Journalism & Media
Applied Sciences & Professions
Agriculture & Forestry
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
% of Total Page Views % of Studies
Likewise, with respect to Master’s degree subjects at Asian supply in the following disciplines: Business & Management, universities, the greatest demand is for the following Engineering & Technology, Law, Environmental Studies & disciplines: Engineering & Technology (26%), Business & Earth Sciences and to a lesser extent for Arts, Design & Management (24%) and Social Sciences (13%). Architecture and Journalism & Media.
Concurrently, the relative demand is higher than the relative Conclusions 23
Conclusions
What Is Next for Asia?
As Asian universities are increasingly starting to attract more international students, the future looks bright for Asian education. In all likelihood, this shift will be sustainable when supported by comprehensive national policies encouraging student mobility and internationalization on campus.
With most of the growing demand for international education coming from Asian countries, these are also the countries that can take advantage of the increasing demand for English-taught programmes locally, often times for lower tuition fees and reputable institutions.
If Asian universities can grow at a similar rate to that of European universities over the previous decade, then they are on the path to becoming strong players in international education.