Tough Australian student visa requirements to be lifted

The Australian, one of Australia’s leading newspapers, described the review as ‘a jewel’, praising its clarity, its depth, and even the entertaining way in which it is written. But it is not the literary value of Michael Knight’s review of the Australian student visa process that will most please Australia’s 39 universities and those who

OECD: international student number rises to 3.7 million

The OECD – or the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to give it its full name – has this week released its annual report on the state of education across the world, focusing on its 34 member nations. Education at a Glance 2011 contains a massive range of statistics, which show things like to

English-language research still a big advantage in global rankings

by Danny Byrne The 12 months that have passed since the publication of the 2010 QS World University Rankings® have at times been turbulent for UK universities, yet this year’s results go some distance toward allaying sensationalist claims about their imminent demise. University of Cambridge retains the number one position it prised from Harvard last

Asian investment continues to reap dividends

By Danny Byrne This year’s rankings reflect proactive schemes to improve standards at many Asian universities. Ambitious schemes implemented by governments throughout Asia have led to dramatic developments in international recognition and research standards, and this improvement is again reflected in the 2011 QS World University Rankings®. Of the leading 25 Asian universities, 21 improve

Middle Eastern universities begin to make their mark

by Martin Ince They may be at an early stage in their development, but investment schemes of Middle Eastern nations are beginning to pay dividends. Across the Middle East, nations large and small are developing plans for higher education. Some have immeasurable sums of oil wealth to spend on this ambition, but even those that

Can rankings really help students choose their university?

by Tim Rogers We live in very interesting times. For decades, the topic of higher education, university admissions, tuition fees and graduate employment featured, if at all, buried deep in the pages of our national newspapers. In recent months, however, since the release of the Browne Report and the UK Government’s White Paper on higher

2010 EU survey: monitoring industrial research

By Martin Ince, convenor of the QS Global Academic Advisory Board Europe’s universities have received a qualified vote of confidence from companies in the EU. The European Commission’s latest survey of business research shows that they regard collaboration with universities as a principal reason to do research in the EU. They also say that the