By Marcelo Barros. The international student enrollment bubble at US universities might be beginning to burst and that may not be bad news. According to a survey of 250 colleges and universities released in March by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, nearly 40% of colleges are reporting overall declines in applications from international students. More...

By Brendan O’Malley. Some 51% of international graduates remain in New Zealand five years after completing their qualification and some 39% remain after eight years, according to a Ministry of Education report published earlier this year. More...

By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In News, organisers of the world’s first global March for Science on 22 April, being led in Washington with satellite marches in 514 locations worldwide, say we must stand together against a possible future where people not only ignore scientific evidence but seek to eliminate it entirely, reports Brendan O’Malley.
   In our World Blog, Patrick Blessinger says the ability to think creatively is vital in this era of automation and innovation and argues that creative learning is an intentional process that can and should be developed in students.
   In Commentary, Tom P Abeles says universities need to adapt to transformational pressures which are changing the world of work, the traditional job seeking models and the academic world. Roger Chao Jr and Stig Arne Skjerven call for a comprehensive approach to refugee education from the international community, including recognition of prior learning and widening access to higher education. And Marcelo Barros gives 10 reasons why a reduction in numbers of international students in the United States could be a positive development.
   In a report-back on the webinar on international student mobility trends held on 12 April and hosted by University World News in partnership with DrEducation and StudyPortals, Nic Mitchell writes that brand awareness is the surprising key challenge facing universities in recruiting international students, according to a poll of the audience.
   In Features, Ameen Amjad Khan reports that violent attacks on scholars, students and universities in Pakistan continue unabated, even as the international community speaks out against them, with the latest victim being a student killed by a mob on Thursday. Venilla Yoganathan writes that universities in South Africa are experimenting with high-tech predictive computer programmes which help identify at-risk students early, in a bid to arrest overly high dropout rates. And Jan Petter Myklebust outlines research that reports dramatic improvements in Swedish doctoral education over the past 70 years, although the value of a PhD is still disputed by employers. Read more...