{"id":1859,"date":"2020-02-29T18:45:57","date_gmt":"2020-02-29T16:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uaace.org\/?page_id=1859"},"modified":"2020-02-29T18:45:57","modified_gmt":"2020-02-29T16:45:57","slug":"section-2-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uaace.org\/?page_id=1859&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Section 2."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Natalia Volodymyrivna Avramenko
\nCandidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor<\/p>\n

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Trends in the International Education Market and the Current State of Higher Education Service Exports in Ukraine<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

An Overview of the Enrollment of International Students in Educational Programs Offered by Ukrainian Higher Education Institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ukrainian higher education institutions have sufficient potential to compete for a share of the educational services market. According to data from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, 65,000 students from 146 countries around the world are studying at 187 higher education institutions in Ukraine. Ukraine\u2019s share of the international education market, measured by the number of international students, stands at 1.5%. In recent years, the number of international students has increased significantly. Financial revenues from these students in the 2012\u20132013 academic year totaled 4.3 billion hryvnias. Higher education institutions with a significant proportion of international students receive substantial funding. For example, in the 2012\u201313 academic year, Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics received 40% of its budget from international students enrolled on a fee-paying basis. <\/span><\/p>\n

Providing educational services to foreign citizens during the 2012\/2013 academic year created jobs for 5,000 teachers. Foreign students are drawn to the Ukrainian education system by the relatively low cost of tuition and living expenses, the depth of certain academic disciplines (our physics-mathematics and chemistry programs are recognized worldwide) and the long-standing reputation of leading Ukrainian universities. To adequately assess the competitive advantages or disadvantages of Ukrainian education, it is necessary, first and foremost, to analyze the demands of the global market. Monitoring of student preferences shows that business education is valued most highly on the international market. Nearly 20% of students study technical and engineering sciences, with information technology being the most popular field. Roughly the same number of students choose the natural sciences. Medicine brings up the rear at 4\u20135%. <\/span><\/p>\n

In Ukraine, however, 25% (more than 16,000) of foreign students are studying medicine. And 20% (more than 13,000) are studying technical sciences. The humanities and economics departments at Ukrainian universities are less popular among international students. When considering the geographic origin of applicants, the largest percentage of students in Ukraine come from Asia: Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, China, the Russian Federation, India, Iraq, Iran, and others. From the African continent, a significant number of students come from Nigeria. More than 4,000 international students come from European countries. The reason why few international students from developed countries come to study in Ukraine is the relatively low rankings of Ukrainian universities in international rankings, which determine the quality of education. In 2014, the number of foreign students decreased due to the events in Ukraine. For example, the number of first-year students admitted to Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University was 20 times lower than in 2013. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the future, we need to step up our outreach efforts abroad to convince prospective students that studying in Ukraine is safe. For Ukrainian higher education, expanding the export of educational services is beneficial, first, from an economic standpoint: training specialists for foreign countries is becoming one of the most profitable sources of revenue, especially given the lack of funding in the education sector. Second, from the perspective of improving the quality of education: the desire to attract international students encourages Ukrainian universities to develop a system for training specialists that takes into account the global labor market\u2019s requirements regarding the quality of education and the fields of study.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. \n

    Organizational and Legal Challenges in the Development of Education Exports<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ukraine has a complex and bureaucratic system for issuing initial invitations to foreign students to study. For example, the visa application process for Indian students takes 2\u20133 months. By comparison, in countries interested in exporting higher education, the processing of entry documents takes a maximum of two weeks. According to estimates by Ukraine\u2019s Ministry of Education and Science, the state\u2019s lost revenue amounts to approximately 70 million U.S. dollars in just one year due to the unresolved issue of obtaining entry visas to Ukraine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The network of overseas recruitment centers for Ukrainian universities is underdeveloped, which has led to a flourishing intermediary industry. Ukrainian legislation forces foreigners to seek assistance from consulting firms, and as a result, the costs for foreign applicants are rising sharply. For example, according to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iraq to Ukraine, a visa that costs $70 ends up costing a student from Iraq more than $1,000. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Problems frequently arise with the State Migration Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. International students report that these agencies treat them like criminals, which spreads negative information about Ukraine. The issue of transferring credits earned by foreign citizens while studying abroad has not been resolved. Ukrainian universities are required to admit students who have completed three years of undergraduate study in another country only to the first year. In contrast, most universities in other countries admit such students directly into the third year. There are also complications regarding the recognition of Ukrainian diplomas abroad. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The issue of compensation for foreign faculty members remains unresolved, which limits the ability to attract highly qualified lecturers from other countries. International students are not permitted to work while studying, which prevents students from low-income families from improving their financial situation. The high level of corruption in dealings with foreign students is also a major cause for concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

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      Issues in the Quality of Education and the Introduction of Modern Teaching Methods.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      There is a lack of new educational programs and courses that meet international standards and ensure that graduates are prepared to work in a global economy. The implementation of dual-degree programs is hampered by insufficient regulatory support and difficulties in coordinating the scope and content of the curriculum. <\/span><\/p>\n

      The educational process suffers from a lack of a scientific component, which is the foundation of the educational process, especially at research universities (the unsatisfactory state of the material and laboratory infrastructure for teaching, educational services, classroom equipment, etc.). Ukrainian universities offer few programs taught in English, and the quality of English-language instruction is sometimes quite low. In contrast, in many countries that export education, the proportion of English-language courses is increasing, which attracts interest from international students. Postgraduate education for foreign nationals is developing slowly (in leading countries, it accounts for up to 30% of the total volume of training for foreign students).<\/span><\/p>\n

      In Ukraine, distance learning technologies and e-learning have not yet become widely used, and no virtual (online) or cross-border universities have been established. It is important to note that implementing export-oriented educational programs based on modern technologies requires fewer funds, as it does not necessitate the construction of facilities or the provision of infrastructure to support students\u2019 daily needs. \u00a0\u00a0Ukrainian universities hardly participate in the creation and activities of international educational consortia and networks, which would enable them to engage more actively in the exchange of educational and scientific developments, new programs, and teaching methods, as well as to conduct research.<\/span><\/p>\n

      EXPORT OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AS A MEANS OF DIVERSIFYING SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS<\/span><\/h4>\n

      The global trend toward reducing government funding for higher education and the focus on finding additional sources of funding are leading to local, regional, and international competition for financial resources and an increase in student enrollment. The international sector is seen as a promising avenue for diversifying the funding sources of higher education institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The processes of globalization and internationalization of the scientific and educational sphere are expanding access to additional funding and facilitating the inclusion of domestic universities in international cooperation consortia, which helps to increase competitiveness in the international education market. Finding ways to decouple revenue growth from the growth in the number of applicants will enable the government to elevate state universities to \u201cworld-class\u201d status.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Measures that could contribute to this include relinquishing control over the setting of tuition fees or expanding the number of cutting-edge programs, among others. An alternative mechanism for attracting financial resources to achieve \u201cworld-class\u201d university status could be improving university efficiency and expanding research areas, which would help attract additional investment. The transformation of the higher education system\u2014which is academic in nature\u2014into a global industry of educational services is a widespread global trend.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The increased involvement of higher education institutions in the market economy has led to a drive to increase profits. It is worth noting that attracting international students affects not only the financial situation but also the prestige, positive image, and competitiveness of a higher education institution.<\/span><\/p>\n

      In addition to financial considerations, attracting international students also has strategic implications: the establishment and development of a successful international education system; the promotion of national policy, culture, economy, and way of life in the global communities of the countries from which these international students originate; it is one of the mechanisms for enhancing the country\u2019s economic competitiveness by employing the most talented foreign graduates.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Today, higher education is viewed as a significant factor in economic growth. The World Trade Organization has added education to the list of services whose trade is regulated by the provisions of the General Agreement on Trade in Services. Because educational services are exported, international competition in this sector is growing accordingly. M. van der Wende, a researcher in the field of comparative education policy, links the reduction of inequality at the global level to a rebalancing that has occurred due to China\u2019s strengthening position in the global scientificresearch sector, as reflected in its high share of global spending on research and development and its high ratio of researchers (for both of these indicators, China currently ranks second in the world after the United States and Europe, respectively).<\/span><\/p>\n

      The second factor contributing to a reduction in global inequality, according to the author, is the increase in the number of students from various countries (more than half of this increase comes from China and India). In many Western countries, government support for higher education is declining. Consequently, the American model\u2014based on a high proportion of private funding\u2014is gaining popularity, even though it has repeatedly been criticized in various countries for its unfairness and for reducing the efficiency of spending. Income inequality is becoming less dependent on the presence of a higher education, as background and social connections play an increasingly important role, especially in societies with a highly educated population.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Thus, although on average worldwide the level of inequality in higher education is gradually declining, this trend is unlikely to offset the problem of rising inequality in many countries. As a result, the higher education sector is under pressure from two sides: on the one hand, competition is increasing at the global level, and on the other, universities are increasingly facing criticism for their local activities. Universities that chase high rankings in international rankings while neglecting their national identity face the harshest criticism.<\/span><\/p>\n

      More than ten years ago, scholars predicted that globalization would lead to economic \u201cimbalances,\u201d which, in turn, would have a devastating effect on social cohesion; therefore, globalization requires a rebalancing. In this regard, universities were encouraged to expand their mission toward internationalization, inclusivity, and educational accessibility, and to embrace the idea of diversity as the key to success in the global information society. Such universities are considered truly international and multicultural educational environments.<\/span><\/p>\n

      International student mobility is one of the priority areas for the development of the modern global higher education system and the expansion of educational services exports. Today, there is a significant imbalance worldwide between countries that send and those that receive students. According to the Atlas project, in 2016, eight leading host countries were identified that receive more than half of the world\u2019s total international student population: the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, Australia, Russia, Canada, and Germany. However, in recent years, new destinations have been emerging in the international education market, including countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Asia.<\/span><\/p>\n

      As of 2016, approximately one-fifth of global student mobility flows were accounted for by the United States. U.S. education policy is aimed not only at maintaining its leading position but also at increasing the number of international students pursuing higher education. Demand for American higher education is growing rapidly among students.<\/span><\/p>\n

      There are currently nearly one million students from about 200 countries studying in the United States. In recent years, Chinese citizens coming to pursue master\u2019s degrees have been the driving force behind the growth in the number of international students in the U.S., leading to a balance in the number of international students at the bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The rapid increase in the number of international students in the U.S. is also driven by the large number of scholarship programs offered by foreign governments for intensive English language study and educational courses in STEM fields. Since 2017, the U.S.\u2019s position as the leading destination for international students has been a subject of debate. However, the country\u2019s education policy is aimed at mobilizing the efforts of higher education institutions and associations to develop joint strategies for attracting international students. Examples of such initiatives include the \u201c#YouAreWelcomeHere\u201d advertising campaign and others.<\/span><\/p>\n

      According to the 2017 Open Doors Report, published by the Institute of International Education with support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, international students in the United States account for more than 20% of all students studying abroad worldwide. The number of international students enrolled at U.S. universities exceeded one million for the first time in the 2015\u20132016 academic year, representing a 7% increase from the previous year.
      \n<\/span><\/p>\n

      Students from China and India accounted for half of the total number of international students in the United States during the 2016\u20132017 academic year. The share of students from Saudi Arabia and South Korea decreased by 14% and nearly 4%, respectively, compared to the previous year. The top three fields of study chosen by international students in the 2016\u20132017 academic year were engineering, business and management, and mathematics and computer science. More than 60% of international students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions during the 2016\u20132017 academic year using their own funds, while slightly more than 5% of students took advantage of scholarship programs offered by their home governments.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The U.S. budget currently receives approximately 36 billion from tuition paid by international students and their related expenses during their studies (living expenses, food and transportation costs, textbook purchases, health insurance, etc.) currently amounts to approximately $36 billion. The U.S. Department of Commerce ranks higher education as the country\u2019s fifth most important service export.<\/span><\/p>\n

      In recent years, many countries have been developing and improving their education systems, including by enhancing their international focus and appeal to foreign students. As a result, the United States\u2019 share of the international market in this sector has declined somewhat. At the same time, there has been some growth in the share of European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Competing countries attract international students, among other things, through more favorable financial terms (grants, scholarships, loans, and paid work opportunities), which poses a risk to the United States, where tuition costs are higher than in competing countries. Unlike other developed countries, the situation in Europe is quite unique. Approximately half of all international students study there, and more than 50% of these students come from other European countries. For example, the Netherlands attracts the most students from Germany, China, and Belgium, while Dutch students tend to choose the United Kingdom and Belgium for their studies abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Overall, more than half of international students come from Asia, and traditionally, about 25% come from Europe. Of the Asian students studying in Europe, the majority are enrolled in the United Kingdom. As for the national composition of international students at British universities, according to data from The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the top five spots are held by students from China, the EU, Asia, and North America. Australia is one of the leading countries in the international education market and has been making significant efforts over the past decade to consolidate and expand its position. One of the distinctive features of this country\u2019s education policy is \u201ca significantly higher percentage of students enrolled in undergraduate programs rather than graduate programs, as is the case in the United States and the United Kingdom.\u201d China\u2019s role in the development of international student flows is gaining significance in the global market. China is currently the largest source of international students, a trend driven by government policy, the value of a degree in the Chinese labor market, and rising prosperity. Most Chinese students pursue their education in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Japan. In turn, China has also actively begun implementing a strategy to attract international students to its universities, setting a goal of attracting approximately 500,000 international students by 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Among the current trends in the development of international education, the formation of regional markets for educational services stands out. Recently, countries in Southeast Asia have been increasingly joining forces in the fields of education and science, including through the creation of research clusters. The first three clusters will specialize in health care and medicine; Singapore and Thailand will serve as coordinators for these clusters. Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam will serve as the coordinating countries for two additional clusters (agriculture and the food industry); the Philippines and Indonesia will coordinate the clusters in the fields of energy and biological research.<\/span><\/p>\n

      According to experts, a significant increase in the number of international students is expected in the long term in the countries mentioned above. Ukraine is gradually becoming more attractive to foreign students, but its position in the international higher education market remains relatively low-profile. As of 2017, there were 64,066 international students from 147 countries studying in Ukraine. The main countries of origin for international students in Ukraine are: Azerbaijan (14.5%), India (12.1%), Turkmenistan (10.2%), and Morocco (7.2%). Positive trends include: a gradual decrease in the percentage of international students from post-Soviet countries (38.7%) compared to those from other countries (61.3%); an increase in the number of international students studying in Ukrainian; an increase in the number of English-language educational programs. The development of the educational services market necessitates the creation of marketing mechanisms.<\/span><\/p>\n

      In the context of competition among higher education institutions, the lack of effective marketing of educational services leads to a weakening of a university\u2019s competitive advantages in favor of institutions that actively implement strategies to promote their educational services to the market. Consequently, Ukrainian higher education cannot remain on the sidelines of internationalization. In response to global challenges, universities are compelled to seek opportunities for international development and to incorporate internationalization into their development strategies. The need to advance internationalization is driven by various factors, including the need to expand access to sources of cutting-edge knowledge, new opportunities for building partnerships and developing intercultural communication skills, as well as strengthening civil society, training professionals prepared to work in a globalized world, and enhancing the reputation of higher education institutions, among other things.<\/span><\/p>\n

      In general, the main trends in the development of the modern international market for educational services at this time include:<\/span><\/p>\n