EduConnect Mid-March’25 Edition
POPULAR STUDY DESTINATION UPDATES
Global | International students facing high visa refusal rates
International students are experiencing higher visa refusal rates for top study destinations, causing planning and financial issues for students, institutions, and agencies. Read more here.
United States | Indian student applications decline by 13%, Russia and Germany up by 34% and 49% respectively
The US saw a 13% drop in Indian student applications, whereas Russia and Germany increased by 34% and 49%, respectively, and the sharpest decline of 41% was seen in Indian students opting for Canada. Read more here.
United Kingdom | 14% decline in sponsored study visas in 2024
Sponsored study visa issuances for international students coming to the UK fell by 14% in 2024 compared with 2023, with the most significant drops being from India, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. Read more here.
Australia | Cap on student visas could likely impact applications from Indian students
Education experts feel that if the stricter student visa policy is imposed, it will likely impact the number of Indian students choosing Australia for higher education. Read more here.
ASIA UPDATES
- Singapore changes study visa norms to attract Indian professionals by removing employment caps and expanding eligible roles and salary thresholds.
- As part of the Presidential Digitalization Blueprint, the Department of Education (DepEd) and Microsoft are working together to drive educational advancements in the Philippines through generative AI technology and comprehensive skilling programs for students and educators.
- According to official data, over 250,000 Indian travelers visited Vietnam in 2023. With a sharp rise in the number of Indian tourists, Vietnam plans to launch visa-on-arrival for Indian and other tourists.
- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announces that a new university would be set up in the capital Islamabad using £190 million (US$246 million) recovered from the United Kingdom
AFRICA UPDATES
- The Ugandan government has revised the Advanced Level curriculum, with topics that were deemed outdated, redundant, or already covered at the lower secondary level now removed.
- South Africa is working towards a sustainable and growing economy by 2030.
- Mauritius’s Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, unveiled plans for a National Advisory Committee aimed at revisiting and refining university curricula.
- As per the Dakar Framework for Action, the Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) expresses deep concern over Malawi’s persistent failure to allocate at least 20% of the national budget to education.
- The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, has lamented that taxes on N70,000 minimum wage are becoming unbearable for its members.
- The Pan African Virtual and E-University (PAVEU) is one of the African Union’s most ambitious projects to democratize access to higher education and promote the development of critical skills on the continent.
- A recent survey by ApplyBoard unveiled that the majority of Africa’s students who are interested in studying at universities in the world’s top study destinations prefer degree courses in health and related fields.