The In Focus section of the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3) includes 10 papers focusing on the theme: Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world.
Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world, by Hilligje van’t Land, IAU Director Membership and Programme Development (h.vantland@iau-aiu.net)
Dear Readers,
The In Focus section of this IAU Horizons tackles the controversial issue of Tuition Fees, offering a series of reflections by authors from around the world.
Charbonnier, from the OECD, identifies four different tuition fee models and shows how the balance between public and private funding is uneven in many countries, drawing out how difficult it is to establish ‘appropriate’ tuition fees schemes. Guhr and Furtado from the Illuminate Consulting Group (ICG), based in the USA, compare and analyse the cost of international education on the basis of data from the ICG’s ‘International Tuition-based Competition Database’. The analysis of actual “investment” in international higher education includes a comparative approach to cost of living and estimated return of such education.
Leonard, based in Korea, looks at the negative financial impacts of the global economic crisis and the decreasing public funding on ‘Tuition dependent institutions’. Newby analyses the unforeseen impacts of the UK tuition fee policy and calls for new strategic planning at the country level to ensure financial future viability of UK universities.
Granfelt describes some of the impacts of the “Competing on the basis of quality bill” adopted by the Swedish government in 2010, and its in particular effects on student mobility flows from outside the EU into the country. Furtado completes the picture in Sweden, with an analysis of the impact of the bill on the University of Lund, and calls for a national plan to advertise better for the advantages to study in the country.
Bester, Duplessis and van Aardt write about the role of UNISA in defining tuition fee levels for South African HEIs, through complex cost analyses of education, cost of living and national needs. Gordon looks at the case of Ghana, and makes the case for governments to better explain what tuition fees actually cover so that students and families understand the role they play when settling fees.
Mongkhonvanit and Sawheny look at Thailand, and at what issues should be taken into consideration to establish tuition fees, whilst ensuring access to HE to the majority of the population through. Brigg shows how the Illuminate Consulting Group’s comparative study assisted Griffith University in defining its tuition fees for international students insisting on the need to factor in cost of living; international rankings; specialised programmes; working permits; security; traditional migration flows; etc..
Read more in the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3).

The In Focus section of the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3) includes 10 papers focusing on the theme: Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world.
IAU – Higher Education for Sustainable Development / HESD Portal: www.iau-hesd.net
IAU is pleased to report on the latest developments regarding the IAU HESD portal.
Initial desktop research allowed to launch a first version of the portal (November 2012). A survey questionnaire is circulating among all HEIs globally to seek original input and to mobilise the HE community. Today, more than 100 completed questionnaires have been received and are being processed and uploaded gradually. In total, more than 250 institutions’ actions and initiatives are registered online.
We thank all those who have contributed actively so far and invite others from around the globe to join in. Purpose is to showcase the wealth and variety of activities developed, to foster exchange and debate and inspire others to use examples given and adapt these to their own needs and possibilities. The information gathered will be analysed and presented at the IAU 2014 International Peru Conference (Iquitos, March 2014, see page 4 to 6). The information received is also made available to the UNESCO ESD Sector, so that concrete HE contributions to the UN-DESD will be reported on at the UNESCO World Conference on ESD (Nagoya, November, 2014).
To submit actions, to update your institutional profile, to submit other information relevant to advance HESD, please go to the HESD Portal accessible online at: www.iau-hesd.net
To share one/more initiatives; policy documents; actions; practices; other, thank you for using one of the following options:
- The IAU HESD contact form: www.iau-hesd.net/en/contact
- The ‘Register your institution/organization’
Form: www.iau-hesd.net/en/node/1413
Two IAU documents will assist you in the submission process:
- A user guide for information upload on the IAU Portal (available online)
- A questionnaire on your sustainable development practices (available upon request)
Contact: HESD Team (iau4@iau-aiu.net).
Download the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3).

The In Focus section of the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3) includes 10 papers focusing on the theme: Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world.
Training and Support Programme for Academic Librarians on OER Use, Reuse, and Production 
The first stage of the new IAU project for Academic Librarians on Open Educational Resources (OER) use, reuse, and production took place in Accra, Ghana on 12 and 13 September 2013. It took the form of a Validation Workshop to raise awareness of and obtain feedback from the academic library community on the IAU project. It received funding from UNESCO’s Participation Fund and was organized in partnership with the Association of African Universities (AAU), an IAU Member organization.
The IAU project focuses on the uptake, production and practice of using Open Educational Resources (OER) – free digitized and non-digitized open teaching and learning materials – within Higher Education institutions. Open Educational Resources (OER) respond to access issues and to the notions of knowledge societies and lifelong learning. Yet, there is still confusion on what OER are, where they are located, how they can be adapted and re-used and how their quality is assured. The IAU believes that academic librarians are the best placed to advocate for and help in the development of OER.
Download the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3).

The In Focus section of the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3) includes 10 papers focusing on the theme: Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world.
Internationalization Strategies Advisory Service (ISAS) – projects underway with IAU Member institutions in Peru, Botswana and Japan 
As reported in pervious issues of IAU Horizons, a number of ISAS projects are currently underway.
The IAU Panel for the project with Universidad Cientifica del Peru (UCP), Peru, undertook the site visit to the institution in early October. The Panel is currently writing up the project report, which will include advice and recommendations for future action on the university’s internationalization strategy and related activities.
The IAU Senior Fellow, Madeleine Green, undertook the initial site visit to the University of Botswana (UoB) in September. During her two day meeting she met with a range of stakeholders from across the institution to provide further details of the ISAS project; formulated a workplan, and timeframe and helped to initiate the university’s ISAS Institutional Committee who will manage and facilitate the process from within the institution. The Committee will now begin the research required to develop the institution’s Self- Assessment Report, which forms an essential part of every ISAS project. It is expected that the site visit to the institution by the IAU Panel, will take place in the first few months of 2014. Both ISAS projects with UCP and UoB are made possible thanks to funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and contributions by each university.
The IAU is also pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Meiji University, Japan, an IAU Member institution, to undertake an ISAS project. An initial site visit to the University was conducted by IAU Secretary General, Eva Egron-Polak in 2013. The project will also include a two-and-ahalf- day site visit by the IAU Panel of experts in March 2014, once the institutional self-assessment report is completed. The Association will provide regular updates on the progress of all ISAS projects in the IAU e-bulletin and IAU Horizons. Should your institution be interested in re-developing and/ or enhancing its internationalization strategy, please visit the ISAS web pages.
Contact: Ross Hudson, IAU Programme Officer at: r.hudson@iau-aiu.net.
Download the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3).

The In Focus section of the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3) includes 10 papers focusing on the theme: Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world.
IAU and EAIE Executive Seminar on Internationalization - EAIE Conference, Istanbul, Turkey, September 2013
Co-organized by IAU and EAIE and held during the annual conference of the European Association of International Education (EAIE) in Istanbul, Turkey, this first edition of an invitational Executive Seminar brought together nearly two dozen university presidents from an equal number of nations to debate whether and how higher education internationalization served the interests of diplomacy and to what extent this was an appropriate role for higher education institutions. Several leaders of IAU Member universities attended and in light of their very positive feedback and the general success of the Seminar the two organizations agreed to repeat the initiative in Prague, Czech Republic in September 2014 by organizing a second Executive Seminar during the EAIE conference. Contact: Ross Hudson, IAU Programme Officer at: r.hudson@iau-aiu.net.
Download the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3).

The In Focus section of the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3) includes 10 papers focusing on the theme: Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world.
IAU 4th Global Survey on Internationalization of Higher Education – response rate nearly doubled! 
IAU expects the report of the survey to be available by early 2014. At this time the Association will also be sending complimentary electronic copies of the Executive Summary of the report to all the institutions that completed the questionnaire.
IAU would like to thank once again all the HEIs that took part in the survey, and the Association’s partners in this important initiative – the British Council, European Commission, EAIE and NAFSA.
Contact: Ross Hudson, IAU Programme Officer at: r.hudson@iau-aiu.net.
Download the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3).

The In Focus section of the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3) includes 10 papers focusing on the theme: Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world.
IAU International Conferences are organized on a yearly basis and focus on topics of interest to the Members of the higher education community. They are organized for leaders IAU Members at large and of the various higher education stakeholders. Due to their global scope, the IAU international Conferences offer a unique opportunity for HE leaders to meet in broader and smaller groups of peers to exchange ideas, practices and to network.
Conference themes
The following main topics will frame the Conference discussions:
What kind of Future do We Want?
The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Sustainable Development
The Post 2015 Development Agenda as a framework for IAU and higher education institutions
Confirmed speakers include Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute, Columbia University; Special Adviser to United Nations Secretary-General, Zakri Abdul Hamid, First chair of the UN Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair in Education for Sustainable Development, Pornchai Mongkhonvanit, President, Siam University, Thailand, Pam Fredman, Rector, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and more! The two- and- a half- day conference will include interactive plenaries and working group sessions on institutional change management for sustainable development, campus greening initiatives, innovative research and teaching for sustainable development, and alternative economic models to advance ‘The Future We Want’ – post 2015 Education Agenda, as well as discussions on initiatives that integrate traditional knowledge and higher education research and teaching; the social and cultural dimensions of sustainable development, and issues relating to climate change.
The Conference is open to all interested higher education leaders, decision-makers, academics, students and other stakeholders.
Download the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3).

The In Focus section of the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3) includes 10 papers focusing on the theme: Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world.
Message from the Secretary General - To charge or not to charge?
‘To charge or not to charge?’, that is a question that is increasingly answered in the affirmative, even in higher education systems with a long history of free higher education. The pressure to find ways to replace lower investments from public sources or to fill the coffers needed to expand the system of higher education has been growing steadily. Most frequently, it is the learner (or his/ her family) that is expected to pay. The debate that surrounds tuition fees is nowadays rather about who should pay, how much they should pay and how they can borrow (and repay) the money.
The economic arguments on which the idea of tuition fees rest have to do with private returns on investment and the traditional expectation that higher education graduates will have greater earning power. Yet, as higher education credentials become common currency of ever-larger segments of society and as the unemployment rates of higher education graduates are climbing in many nations, is this argument still tenable? And, even if it is not, what alternatives are open to higher education institutions which see the per student contribution from public sources diminish each year?
On the other side of the tuition fee argument are those who point out that free higher education is no guarantee of equity in access, the central social equity argument against tuition fees. Looking at the socio-economic make up of higher education enrolments often provides testimony for this argument, though charging tuition fees, even along with all manner of loans and student aids can certainly work against equity goals. As usual, the In Focus section of this edition of IAU Horizons could have been longer, presenting many more viewpoints with regard to tuition fees from different geographic or stakeholder perspectives. It is not our intent to be exhaustive and so only a sample of situations and arguments is offered here. To add to this overview of the issues, a random sample of references from the international press is also been prepared. Eva Egron-Polak.
Download the magazine IAU Horizons (Vol. 19 No.3).

The In Focus section of the magazine includes 10 papers focusing on the theme: Student Tuition Fees – perspectives from around the world.
The magazine also provides further details of the IAU 2014 International Conference, on the theme: Blending Higher Education and Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Development, to take place in Peru, in March 2014, at the Universidad Cientifica del Peru.
It also includes updates on recent IAU work and projects including for example, the IAU’s workshop on Open Educational Resources that took place in Ghana last September; the IAU- ACUP workshop on Doctoral Education and e supervision, which took place in Spain in October; the IAU Equitable Access and Success Workshop, that took place at the EAN World Congress on Access to post-Secondary Education, in Canada in October; and the IAU capacity building workshop on Internationalization which took place in Malaysia, in November 2013. It lists the new Members of IAU, the Association’s latest publications and a selection of books received at the IAU. Gilles Breton (University of Ottawa, Canada) writes about the book Handbook on Globalization and Higher Education. The magazine concludes with a Calendar of Events.
The next issue (Vol.20 No.1) will report on the outcomes of the IAU 2014 Annual Conference, and focus on MOOCS and OER.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) provides LEADHER grants to HEIs in order to assist them in their efforts to build/strengthen their institutional research management capacity through professional development opportunities for senior administrators. The programme is also designed to promote international cooperation and peer-learning by providing grants for projects that bring together at least two partner institutions. Finally, South-South cooperation is underlined.

How well these objectives are met, and most importantly what impact a LEADHER grant has had on IAU Members, can only be monitored and assessed with their assistance.

If, a few years ago, your institution was involved in a LEADHER Project, it is now time for you to let us know how this project has impacted on the activities of your institution and what results and follow-up have taken place. Thank you for taking the time to answer the questionnaire available here.

Should you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact Élodie Boisfer, IAU Programme Officer.