Our analysis estimates that the 28,099 international students studying at New Zealand universities contributed NZ$1.2 billion to the New Zealand economy during 2017.
The International Education Benchmark for New Zealand was established in October 2015 with the objective to benchmark all aspects of international student recruitment and international student mobility.
In 2018, the comprehensive international education benchmark was conducted for the third time in conjunction with Education New Zealand and Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara. It benchmarks all eight New Zealand universities.
This annual report developed by Studymove provides New Zealand universities with a detailed analysis of their internationalisation strategies at the national and individual university level. Click here to download the press release here
All eight New Zealand universities reported growth in international student enrolments on-campus and revenue generated from international student fees in 2017. The fact that eight out of eight universities reported increments shows an overall positive result for the New Zealand Higher education sector. It is also a very positive result for New Zealand!
1. Enrolments, Revenue and Impact on the New Zealand Economy
The eight New Zealand universities generated an aggregate revenue of NZ$432.5 million from international student fees (on-campus) in 2017. Also, all eight universities report an increment in revenue against the previous year. In aggregate universities reported an increase of 11% in revenue in comparison with 2016.
In 2017, all eight universities reported growth in international student enrolments with an aggregate of 28,099 which represented an increase of 6.2% in international student enrolments on-campus compared to 2016.
From the total, 46% were undergraduate students, 20% were postgraduate students, 18% were research students, 8% were study abroad, 5% exchange students and 4% were unknown.
After combining the results in revenue, international student enrolments and cost of living we can estimate that the 28,099 international students studying at New Zealand universities contributed NZ$1.2 billion to the New Zealand economy during the 2017.[i]
This figure confirms that the university sector provides the largest amount of international student fee revenue within the New Zealand international education industry.
[i] Using cost of living calculations from Infometrics and National Research Bureau (NRB), The Economic Impact of International Education in New Zealand 2015/16, 2016, New Zealand.
New Zealand universities reported grow of 6.2% in international student enrolments in comparison with the previous year.
2. Percentage of international students on-campus
Another important aspect of this analysis Is to estimate the percentage of international student in campus. In 2017, all eight universities reported an aggregate of 167,505 student enrolments of which 28,099 were international students which represents 16.8% of the student population.
We can also report that the average percentage of international students in 2017 was 19% and the median was 17% of the student population. In comparison, Australian universities reported that 26.8% of the student population are international students and for UK universities is 19%. (With Information from the Department of Education and Training, Australian Government, 2016).
3. Where has the growth come from?
All eight universities reported the nationality of international students from more than 57 countries in 2017.
In 2017, China was the largest source country with 4,234 international students, which represents 34.6% of the total. United States, India, Malaysia and Vietnam follow representing together 34.4% of the total. These top 5 markets represent almost 69.0% of the total number of international students recruited in 2017.
In 2017, the top regions for the recruitment of international students in aggregate were North East Asia with 39.1% (38.7% in 2016), Americas with 22.5% (20.6% in 2016) and South East Asia with 11.6% (11.3% in 2016).
4. Education Agents
All eight New Zealand universities provided information on the number of students recruited by agents. In 2017, the average proportion of students via agents for this group of universities was 47.9% and the median was 49.8%.
In 2017, universities paid only 4.2% of their total generated revenue in commissions to education agents, compared to 3.8% in 2016. Considering a different metric, universities invested NZ$1,426 in commissions for every international commencement in 2017.
5. Outbound Mobility in New Zealand
The study also focuses on assessing international mobility strategies implemented by all New Zealand universities. This analysis assists universities in gaining a better understanding of a future national strategy and what other universities may or may not be doing in this area.
Please note that universities continue to report difficulties in providing complete information in the non-credit area. So, it is likely that the data provided understates the actual participation level at most institutions.
The eight universities reported an aggregate of 2,789 students who participated in Outbound Mobility programs during 2017 in comparison with 2,894 students in 2016. This figure includes New Zealand citizens and international students from all academic levels and includes credit and non-credit Outbound Mobility programs.
Participation rate
In aggregate, all eight universities reported a participation rate of 6.4% during 2017 in comparison with 5.7% in 2016 for all students. For undergraduate students, the aggregate participation rate in 2017 was 8.5% in comparison to 7.7% in 2016.
Where are they going?
In 2017, the top 25 destinations for students in Outbound Mobility Programs (undergraduate and graduate) were United Kingdom, United States of America, China, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Japan, France, Korea (South), Germany, Denmark, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Tonga, Multi-Destination, Hong Kong, Italy, Thailand, Do not know, Vietnam, India, Cook Islands, Ireland and South Africa.
The top 5 destinations represented 49% of the total and the top 25 made up 88% of all destinations in 2017.
When grouped by regions, Europe was the most popular region for Outbound Mobility students in 2017. In 2017, the average for Europe as a region was 34.8% in comparison with 29.0% in 2016. Asia was the second most popular region in 2017 with an average of 28.4% in comparison with 35.5% in 2016.
Gender
Similar to Australia and the United States, New Zealand universities (seven reporting universities) reported more female students participating in Outbound Mobility programs in both 2016 and 2017.
In 2017, from the 1,694 undergraduate and postgraduate students that the seven universities reported, 938 students or 55.4% of those students were female and 702 students or 41.4% of students were male students participating in Outbound Mobility programs. In addition, universities reported that 3.2% were of unknown gender.
Funding and support
Universities were asked to report how much they received and are allocating in funding to support student participation in Outbound Mobility programs. There were three categories of funding: Government funding, Institutional funding and Private funding.
Government funding - Four universities indicated that they receive funding via the Prime Minister's Scholarship for Asia and Latin America to support students’ participation in Outbound Mobility programs. During 2017, the seven universities reported a total of 221 students receiving the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia for an undergraduate program.
Private funding – One university reported that they receive funding from private organisations or foundations in New Zealand to support outbound international mobility strategies.
Institutional funding - Universities reported on how much university funding, whether from the centre of the university or from faculties, was allocated to fund outbound international mobility of New Zealand university students. Seven universities reported how much university funding was allocated to outbound international mobility. The amount of institutional funding varied from NZ$20,000 to NZ$470,881 in 2016.
Additional Notes:
[1] Using cost of living calculations from Infometrics and National Research Bureau (NRB), The Economic Impact of International Education in New Zealand 2015/16, 2016, New Zealand.
[2] Data from Department of Education and Training, Australian Government (2016).
6. More information about Studymove
Studymove is an education consultancy specialising in the development of business intelligence reports, domestic and international benchmarking exercises and online marketing strategies for the international education industry. It was established in 2007 and in the last 12 years, we have been contracted to work on various small and large projects by institutions from Australia, Europe, New Zealand and USA.
Our highly qualified and experienced team are experts in the development and implementation of specific solutions to support and enhance international student recruitment and mobility strategies. Our work is widely recognised for its analytical excellence and innovation.
More information about Studymove and their current projects is available via our website: www.studymove.com
Please contact Keri Ramirez, Managing Director of Studymove for more information:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Telephone: +612 6100 4121
Web: www.studymove.com