The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest university news from around the world, on 5 July 2013.
France: Visa rules eased for Indian students
France has announced new visa policies for Indian students, The Economic Times reports. This includes a simplified application process, and the opportunity to apply for a visa valid for up to 5 years for Indian graduates of French universities. CampusFrance, which promotes French higher education around the world, is also working to establish more student exchange partnerships between France and India, while the French Embassy is promoting job opportunities for Indian graduates who studied in France.
Ireland: UCD Student Center voted country’s favorite new building
The new Student Center at University College Dublin (UCD) has been voted Ireland’s favorite new building in this year’s Irish Architecture Awards. It received about a fifth of the 12,500 votes cast, Independent.ie reports. Officially opened last June, the Student Center is the university’s first campus project funded entirely by students. The head of the judging panel, Eddie Conroy, highlighted the building’s “use of colour, choice of materials and the simplicity of its layout”.
Russia: Universities targeting EU students
Russian universities are hoping to attract more students from EU countries, the Royal Society of Chemistry reports. Vladimir Filippov, president of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, said that in the past, Russia has struggled to attract large numbers of European students. However, the university’s deputy president Gulnara Krasnova highlighted the fact that Russia currently has a stronger job market than many European nations. Russian universities also hope to attract more EU students by offering two-year masters programs in which one year is spent in Russia and one year elsewhere.
Pakistan: 50% increase in research publication rate in 2 years
Pakistan has reported a very impressive increase of 50% in research publications over the past two years, The Nation reports. According to research database Scimago, if Pakistan were to continue increasing its research productivity at this rate, it would overtake education hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore by 2018. The number of university faculty members with a PhD has also increased by almost 50% in the past two years, which seems to be partly a result of the Higher Education Commission’s scholarships scheme for PhDs.