International Education Snapshot released

  • Steven Joyce
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment

Canterbury's international education industry is showing strong early signs of recovery with a 6 per cent increase in students according to latest data, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

The International Education Snapshot report released today also shows that high-quality courses in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and postgraduate enrolments continues to trend upward.

“We are seeing a 4 per cent growth in numbers in each of the university and ITP sectors,” Mr Joyce says. “There is particularly strong growth at Masters and PhD level at universities which will support the continuing increase in value of the international education sector.”

The report shows 84,150 international students enrolled with New Zealand schools and tertiary providers as at 31 August 2013, a 3 per cent decline when compared with the same period in 2012 (approximately 2,400 students).

“The overall decline in numbers can be attributed to two key factors; a decline in primary school students from South Korea, and in English language schools in the Private Training Establishment (PTE) sector. We are addressing the factors in the PTE and wider tertiary sector with the recent announcements to extend work rights for international students,” Mr Joyce says.

“Providers are reporting a positive impact on student interest from the most recent changes. We’ve also had a steady increase in student visas in recent months, with an 8 per cent growth in student visas from April to August compared to the same period last year – after declines at the beginning of the year.

“International education continues to be a very important export earner for New Zealand and a key contributor to the strength of our international linkages.

“International students enrich our communities engendering greater cultural understanding and helping internationalise the New Zealand students they study alongside, further preparing them for success in the global environment.

“The strong signs of recovery in Canterbury, and increasing demand for high quality and postgraduate courses, is an excellent platform for continued growth in New Zealand's international education industry.”

Key highlights of the report include:

  • Institutes of technology (ITP) and universities each experienced growth of 4 per cent in international students.
  • Secondary schools also experienced growth of 2 per cent. Secondary schools in Wellington and Canterbury experienced the strongest growth of 12 per cent and 8 per cent respectively.
  • Demand for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses continue to increase in line with global trends. STEM enrolments increased 6 per cent in universities and 9 per cent in ITPs.
  • Post graduate enrolments continued to trend upward. Masters-level enrolments grew by 17 per cent and PhDs by 7 per cent in the university sector.
  • The Canterbury region experienced strong growth of 6 per cent. Canterbury universities, private training establishments (PTEs) and secondary schools showed signs of recovery, with an increase of 4 per cent at universities, 14 per cent at PTEs, and 8 per cent at secondary schools. The primary school sector and ITP sector experienced a decline of 22 per cent and 2 per cent respectively.

The international education snapshot report: January to August 2013 is available at: http://educationnz.govt.nz/markets-research/general-research/international-education-snapshot-jan-aug-2013