The University of New South Wales (UNSW), established in 1949, has 27,000 students in 1995 on five campuses in Sydney, capital city of the state of New South Wales, plus a University College at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, Australia's national capital. In 1995 there were 3,759 international students, making up 14.2% of all students.
The university describes itself as the Australian University with the strongest international profile. This standing is based on its distinguished research record, on relationships with overseas universities to foster joint programs, on the quality and diverse background of its academic staff, on its long history of providing opportunities for international students to study at UNSW and on links forged with graduates returning home.
The university teaches through 10 faculties: Applied Science, Arts and Social Sciences, Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Built Environment, Commerce and Economics, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Professional Studies and Science, as well as the Australian Graduate School of Management and the College of Fine Arts.
UNSW was ranked by the Committee for Quality Assurance in Higher Education in the top band in 1993 and 1994 and in the top band in two of the three research components in 1995.
The University was recognised by the independently published Good Universities Guide as Australia's University of the Year in 1996, on the basis of the breadth of the undergraduate experience offered by the University.
Australia's International Student Programs
It is Australian Government policy that international students may be enrolled in Australian education institutions without numerical limits, provided the students meet the entry requirements of the institution and pay the full cost of the course.
Australia's Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, in its administrative guidelines to universities, provides Indicative Minimum Course Fees for international students. These Indicative Minimum Course Fees require universities to charge fees to international students at levels which reflect the full average cost of providing a place in the course. The calculation of full average cost includes components for teaching and research services, administration, overheads such as rent and utilities, capital facilities for the course in question and common use facilities such as libraries.
The Indicative Minimum Course Fees vary across fields of study, but are the same for undergraduate and postgraduate international students.
In 1995 there were 81,000 international students in Australia, of whom 52,000 were studying at Australia's 38 universities.
University of New South Wales - International Student Program
UNSW in 1995 had 3,759 international students, placing it with Monash, RMIT and Curtin as one of the four universities with the largest international student programs. Of UNSW's total 27,000 students in 1995, 14.2% were international students. In addition, 640 international students were enrolled in Foundation Studies programs, 1,500 in ELICOS (English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students) programs and 100 students undertook Academic Preparation programs.
A further 419 students were at UNSW on semester or one year Study Abroad programs.
UNSW in 1995 earned 13.8% of its income from tuition fees of international students.
Strategy
UNSW's history is a key factor in the success of its international student program.
UNSW was a new university in the 1950s, at the time of the launch of the Colombo Plan for Cooperative Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific. The Colombo Plan involved Australia in the direct sponsorship of international students for study in Australia. As Monash University did in Melbourne, UNSW in Sydney committed itself to the education of international students and, by the mid 1980s, there were 3,500 international students at the University.
These international students were sponsored by the Australian Government under development assistance programs or subsidised by the Australian Government through inclusion of international students in the calculation of the operating grant to the University.
From 1990, all subsidy arrangements were phased out and all overseas students or their sponsors paid full fees. The Australian Government awarded scholarships under tightly targeted programs on the basis of development assistance or merit.
In the absence of Australian Government grants for international students, UNSW sought to replace $20 million of income, through the recruitment of international students who paid, or whose sponsors paid, fees. UNSW embarked on a marketing strategy for its international student program.
In marketing overseas, particularly in Asia, UNSW started with two advantages:
UNSW in its international student program targets five niches and markets differently to those five niches:
UNSW recognised early in its international student program that it must be generous with its marketing resources, that face to face contact overseas is important, and that 'students believe students'. It chose not to rely on agents overseas and frequently uses its students and graduates as a resource in marketing the University internationally.
The university manages risk through diversification by spreading its marketing activities across a number of countries.
UNSW was the first Australian university to develop a Foundation Studies program, and now has Australia's largest program. The university has taken the Foundation Studies program offshore to Malaysia and Indonesia, with plans for other countries.
Foundation Studies at UNSW
Foundation Studies programs are offered by Australian universities as pre-university programs preparing students for entry to university, providing an academic bridge between school in an overseas country and university in Australia. Students who reach a pre-determined standard are offered a place at their chosen university. Foundation studies programs generally are of two semesters' duration.
The Foundation Studies program at UNSW is Australia's first and largest program. The Foundation Studies Certificate is accepted for entry to degrees at UNSW and other Australian and international universities.
In 1995 there were 640 students in Foundation Studies at UNSW. Two out of three go on to study at UNSW, making up 30% to 40% of UNSW's undergraduate intake of international students.
The Foundation Studies Program is part of the university's front-end strategy, which also includes Academic Preparation programs and ELICOS programs through the Institute of Languages, aimed at ensuring that international students maximise their opportunities at UNSW.
Study Abroad at UNSW
The Study Abroad program for Inbound Students is managed by the Institute of Professional Education (IPACE).
In 1995 there were 419 Study Abroad students undertaking semester or one year undergraduate courses. and a further 75 undertaking six week summer courses and internships.
The majority are from the US; with a smaller number (around 50) from Europe. Arts and Social Sciences are the most popular courses but interest is widening to Engineering. Students are integrated into undergraduate courses, with a maximum of one third Study Abroad students in any course or tutorial.
The Study Abroad program is administered by IPACE as a self-contained, self-supporting activity. IPACE manages the total program for Study Abroad students, from recruitment, orientation, accommodation, pastoral care, credit transfer to 'add-on' programs
IPACE is a division of Unisearch Ltd., a research and development company wholly owned by UNSW.
Planning and Evaluation
UNSW has an International Strategies Committee, chaired at Deputy Vice-Chancellor level, providing advice to the University's Executive on the full range of programs and strategies affecting internationalisation. In a University where responsibility and accountability are devolved - Deans have had one line budgets since 1981 - the International Strategies Committee provides balance in the centre of the University.
UNSW's Vision for the year 2020 is for a university where 15% of all students are international students. Already, UNSW is close to this target with international students making up 14.2% of all students in 1995.
UNSW's target is not based on capacity considerations or considerations of the number of students that the university is likely to attract. Rather the target is set by policy, on the basis of the University's desired mix of students.
In 1994, international students made up 13.5% of all students. A further 33% of Australian students were from non-English speaking backgrounds. Broadly, a little over 50% of all UNSW students are from an English speaking background and a little under 50% are from a non-English speaking background.
UNSW has no wish to alter this balance significantly in either direction. A proportion of international students at around 15% is a factor in maintaining this desired balance.
Rather than increasing the percentage of international students on campus, UNSW will provide selected courses offshore. The UNSW Corporate Plan involves action to expand international student recruitment programs to include a focus on alternative provisions, including twinning arrangements, feeder programs and offshore teaching.
Benefits
The major benefits of the UNSW international student program accrue to the university:
Similarly, Australia benefits from the income from tuition fees of international students, from the multicultural mix, from the culture of internationalism and from contributions of these students to UNSW research activity.
Benefits from the Study Abroad program also accrue to the university:
It is no accident that UNSW, with its international student program since its inception as a university, has strong international research links. UNSW students, both Australian and international, benefit in their studies from these international research links.
UNSW's international alumni also benefit from the international student program, many reaching positions of status and influence following their return to their home countries.