China remains by far the largest source country for foreign students coming to the US for higher education, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution.
From 2008 to 2012, more than 1.1 million foreign students attended school in the US, and China comprised the largest portion of that group, with 285,000 students entering the US with F-1 student visas, showed the new study The Geography of Foreign Students in US Higher Education: Origins and Destinations on Aug 29. More...

Several important policy processes will be in the line of work at the European Students’ Union (ESU) in the upcoming months. The most obvious task, will be to prepare for the ministerial conference of the European Higher Education Area in Armenia in the spring.
“In addition to representing students in the Bologna Follow-up Group, which is preparing for the ministerial conference and the policies to be adopted, ESU is working hard on preparing the next edition of its popular publication Bologna With Student Eyes. This publication has been issued before each ministerial conference, providing a critical assessment of students’ perspectives on the implementation of the Bologna Process. It is truly one of ESU’s flagship publications highlighting all major policy developments in the field,” says Elisabeth Gehrke, ESU’s Chairperson. More...

A global convention for the recognition of studies, diplomas and degrees in higher education is currently in the making following a decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The European Students’ Union (ESU) is observing this work with great interest.
In order to take this mission forward, UNESCO held a meeting of experts to work towards the goal of making this global instrument for setting standards. ESU was invited to this meeting that was held at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, France, from 10 to 11 July 2014.
ESU has a longstanding experience in the field of quality assurance of higher education and especially student engagement, for example through its project Quest for Quality of Higher Education (QUEST). More...

A draft proposal for a new organigram of the European Commission shockingly undermines the diversity of education, which is no longer a part of a Commissioner’s portfolio but instead referred to as “skills”.
The European Students Union (ESU) and the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) are outraged by this proposal that does not comply at all with students’ perception of education. A research project presented by ESU this year proves that students consider education to be much more than simply a training of skills. According to this study, students think that education also plays a critical role in personal development and active citizenship. They did not perceive education as a tool that should match the needs of the labour market, but as an instrument that should reflect the needs of each society as a whole. More...