Stroll across any of the elite college campuses in Australia, the United Kingdom or the United States and you will see no shortage of Asian faces. The region dominates the international student composition of universities around the world, and as Asia’s affluence rises, higher education institutions are looking to tap the market by setting up branches closer to where the market is.
Although China and India are attracting some top-tier universities, many are still choosing to set up shop in Southeast Asia, most notably in Malaysia and Singapore, where governments offer an enthusiastic welcome plus incentives as they look to lift educational standards.
Malaysia linked the promotion of international universities to a broader strategy to attract more foreign investment. As part of its far-reaching plan for the Iskandar “smart city” complex in Johor, it has been offering incentives for universities to set up operations.
Universities closer to home are being welcomed by students – and their cost-conscious parents – as they offer courses of a calibre on par with those of the parent institutions without being a 20-hour flight from home.
As well, the prerequisites for entry into these universities’ branch campuses are not as stringent as those abroad, though still very high by local standards, thus allowing many students who otherwise would have had a difficult time making it to the main campus to obtain a degree from the same “brand name” school.
To sweeten the deal, these offshore campuses offer students a one-year study abroad programme that allows them to take some courses on the main campus.
“This is a good deal for the students because it offers the same degree of standards at half the cost,” says Paul Hamilton, the founder of Hamilton International Educational Consultants, a student placement agency operating out of Bangkok.
Foreign university branch campuses in Singapore and Malaysia – Monash University, James Cook University, and Newcastle University – thus have received full support from Asian students with their enrollment hitting record highs.
According to statistics for 2012 from Melbourne-based Monash University, which has a branch in Malaysia, a total of 22,057 international students were enrolled in its worldwide campuses, and most were from Malaysia, mainland China, Indonesia and Singapore, respectively. International students made up about 30% of all Monash students enrolled worldwide.
For Australia-based James Cook University worldwide, Asian students represent almost half of the student body with Singaporeans leading at 22%.
At Monash University Malaysia (MUM), Malaysians account for 70% of the student body, while and James Cook University (JCU) Singapore says 30% of its students are Singaporeans.
However, while local student enrollment is stable, and in some cases rising steadily, most universities have no concrete plans to open more campuses in Asia in the near future. For now, they are focusing their attention on improving the existing campuses and programmes rather than building new ones.
“At this point we don’t envision in going to other countries. ... We just want to do a quality job in the three campuses that we have,” said Dale Anderson, president of James Cook University. In fact, JCU Singapore plans to combine two existing campuses in the near future.
Prof Ella Ritchie, deputy vice-chancellor of Newcastle University, expresses a similar view about plans for Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed). “We are continually looking at how we can innovate the programme, now that it is already established and as its reputation grows,” she said.
NUMed, she noted, has already grown from two programmes offered initially to seven, and graduated its first class of doctors in June this year.
Monash University of Australia invested US$65 million to set up its Malaysian branch back in 1998, according to University World News. Prof Helen Bartlett, the pro-vice chancellor and president who leads the branch campus, said it was focusing on encouraging students from abroad to study at the Malaysian campus, while also offering programmes in nearby countries such as Thailand and Singapore without having a physical presence there.
The presence of these universities not far from the countries where the students originate has helped keep both the students and parents happy.
Saba Hussain chose Monash University’s Malaysia campus because it accommodated her parents’ wish for a short distance, while she maintains a degree of independence and the convenience of being able to transfer to Australia whenever she wants to.
Foreign university branches bring with them an international environment, which is valuable as well as necessary for young people who will be entering an increasingly globalised working world.
The number of foreign students reflects how well recognised a university is outside its home country, as well as the effort it makes to strengthen exchange programmes, which benefits both the student body at the campus and those studying abroad. First-hand experiences gained outside the lecture halls are as important as those gained within.
“Growth in diversity is just as important as the growth in numbers,” said Mr Anderson of JCU, since it makes the student experience at the Singapore campus very valuable.
It is fairly easy to exchange from one campus to another of the same university. However, as a new student, the admission criteria may vary according to the host country where the campus is located.
International students applying for Newcastle University in the United Kingdom must send their application through the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS). Those wishing to study at the Singaporean or Malaysian campuses do not have to follow the same procedure. All universities have a minimum English language requirement and applicants must have the equivalent of grade 12 equivalent of secondary school.
The courses taught at the branch campuses are broadly the same as those delivered at the parent campus, the universities assure students and parents.
As a way to benchmark academic quality, Prof Richie said that most of the staff teaching at NUIS in Singapore are from the UK. “There are a few local staff in Singapore and those staff will either have taught in Newcastle or be very familiar with how we do things in Newcastle.”
Another crucial advantage of receiving similar quality education in one’s home country to that offered on the parent campus is tuition fees. While fees vary according to the chosen subjects, fee structures at universities worldwide depend on whether students are local or international, and which country that the campus is located in.
For example, Monash University charges a Bachelor of Arts student A$26,300 annually (equivalent to 77,350 Malaysian ringgit) at the home campus, while local students on the Malaysian campus pay only 31,000 ringgit per year to earn the same degree as full-time students for three years.
So far, international universities have stressed quality over quantity in their expansion in Asia. While the initial wave of expansion has paused, new entrants are expected to start showing interest in the medium term in response to rising demand. Governments in the region can use the experience gained so far to create flexible and reasonable rules to attract foreign universities for the educational and economic benefit of their people.
