The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 20 May 2013.
France: Reforms aim to make life easier foreign students
The French government has announced a set of measures designed to make life easier for foreign students and researchers, University World News reports. These include student visas with a longer validity period, simplified administrative processes, plans to build additional student housing, and changes to labor legislation to make it easier for foreign students to stay on and work in France. Recent surveys of international students in France have highlighted bureaucracy and lack of information as sources of concern.
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UK: Universities ban adverts for unpaid internships
A growing number of UK universities, including Oxford, York, Leeds, Liverpool, Essex, Sussex and Nottingham, are refusing to advertise unpaid internships, The Boar reports. Surveys commissioned by the National Union of Students have found a significant increase in the number of young people completing unpaid internships. Many are concerned that this means opportunities are becoming more difficult to access for those who can’t afford to work for free. A government bill intended to make unpaid internships illegal has now been delayed until at least next year.
Europe/North Africa: Project to promote research collaboration
The outcomes of a project to boost research collaboration in the Mediterranean region will be discussed at an event in Morocco next month, University World News reports. The Mediterranean Innovation Alliance, co-funded by the EU, brings together universities and business partners in European and North African countries. It has established 12 centers of excellence in knowledge transfer at North African universities, and published strategic guidelines for the promotion of knowledge sharing and innovation across universities and industry.
India: Increase in foreign students at Mumbai University
India’s Mumbai University has seen a significant increase in foreign students this year, The Indian Express reports. The university has more than 210 international students enrolled in 2012-13, compared to just 47 in 2010-11. While progress has not been steady – with numbers rising and falling over the past few years – this year does represent a marked increase. A university spokesperson said there were plans to build more accommodation for international students.
US: Saudi Arabians fourth largest group of international students in US
Saudi Arabia was the fourth largest sender of students to the US in 2011-12, behind China, India and South Korea. According to data from the Institute of International Education, there are now around 70,000 Saudi students at US universities, Arab News reports. The Saudi Arabian government provides funding for study abroad through the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program.