Room to lower foreign student population in local univs to below 15%

[makapaaa]

[h=2]Room to lower foreign student population in local univs to below
15%[/h]

October 14th, 2012 |

Author: Editorial



During a lunch event hosted by the Asia Society
Australia in Sydney on Fri (12 Oct), PM Lee disclosed that foreign students now
form about 16% of enrollment in our local universities compared with 18% last
year.

The decline in percentage came about due to expansion of the university
intakes and reserving the additional places to Singapore students. He has
promised to cut the university foreign student population to 15% by 2015.

Prior to the 2011 General Election, the proportion of foreign students in the
local universities has always been 20% over the last decade [Link].

In a way, the 2011 General Election has “shaken” up the PAP Govt to pay more
attentions to the needs of Singaporeans.

However, a look at the data from some U.S. universities shows that there is
certainly still room for the PAP Govt to cut the proportion of foreign intakes
even further.

The following is a table compiled by the U.S. based Institute of
International Education showing the proportion of foreign students in the top 25
U.S. universities (i.e, top 25 U.S. universities with most number of foreign
students) during the 2009/10 period [Link]:

[TABLE="width: 539"]

<colgroup>
<col width="38">
<col width="247">
<col width="49">
<col width="65">
<col width="76">
<col width="64"></colgroup>
<tbody>
[TR]

[TD="width: 475, colspan: 5"]TOP 25 INSTITUTIONS HOSTING INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS, 2009/10[/TD]

[TD="width: 64"] [/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38"]Rank[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Institution[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"] [/TD]

[TD="width: 65"]Total Int’l Students[/TD]

[TD="width: 76"]Total Enrollment[/TD]

[TD="width: 64"]% of Int’l Students[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]1[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of Southern California[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Private[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]7,987[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]34,824[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]23%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]2[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]7,287[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]43,723[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]17%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]3[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]New York University[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Private[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]7,276[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]43,208[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]17%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]4[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Purdue University – Main Campus[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]6,903[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]41,051[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]17%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]5[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Columbia University[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Private[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]6,833[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]24,188[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]28%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]6[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of Michigan – Ann Arbor[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]6,095[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]41,674[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]15%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]7[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of California – Los Angeles[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]5,685[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]39,750[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]14%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]8[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Michigan State University[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]5,358[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]47,278[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]11%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]9[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of Texas – Austin[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]5,265[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]50,995[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]10%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]10[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Boston University[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Private[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]5,172[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]31,499[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]16%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]11[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of Florida[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,920[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]50,691[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]10%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]12[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]SUNY University at Buffalo[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,911[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]28,881[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]17%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]13[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Harvard University[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Private[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,867[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]26,500[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]18%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]14[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Indiana University – Bloomington[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,819[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]42,347[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]11%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]15[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Ohio State University – Main Campus[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,796[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]55,014[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]9%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]16[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of Minnesota – Twin Cities[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,665[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]51,659[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]9%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]17[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Texas A&M University[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,611[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]48,885[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]9%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]18[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Penn State University – University Park[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,561[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]44,406[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]10%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]19[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of Pennsylvania[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Private[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,522[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]24,474[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]18%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]20[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Arizona State University[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,483[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]68,064[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]7%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]21[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of Wisconsin – Madison[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,312[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]41,644[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]10%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]22[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Cornell University[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Private[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,115[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]20,609[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]20%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]23[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]University of Houston[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,103[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]37,000[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]11%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]24[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Georgia Institute of Technology[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Public[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]4,030[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]20,291[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]20%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD="width: 38, align: right"]25[/TD]

[TD="width: 247"]Stanford University[/TD]

[TD="width: 49"]Private[/TD]

[TD="width: 65, align: right"]3,934[/TD]

[TD="width: 76, align: right"]17,833[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]22%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] [/TD]

[TD] [/TD]

[TD] [/TD]

[TD="align: right"]131,510[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]976,488[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]13.5%[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

The universities are classified into public and private ones.

Public universities are state universities which are supported by state
funding, much like our local universities NUS, NTU and SMU. As such, in the
U.S., state universities give priorities to their own students in their home
states. In other words, they have a “public duty” to serve the residents of
their own states first. For private universities, no state funding is involved.
So, students are expected to pay a much higher “market rate” school fee. Indeed,
most private universities are more expensive than the state universities.

Hence, as to be expected, proportion of foreign student enrollment in public
universities is much lower than that of private ones. Taking the averages of the
percentage of foreign student enrollment in the above 25 public and private
universities, we have:

[TABLE="width: 299"]

<colgroup>
<col width="94">
<col width="66">
<col width="75">
<col width="64"></colgroup>
<tbody>
[TR]

[TD="width: 94"] [/TD]

[TD="width: 66"]Total Int’l Students[/TD]

[TD="width: 75"]Total Enrollment[/TD]

[TD="width: 64"]% of Int’l Students[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Private[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]44,706[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]223,135[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]20.0%[/TD]
[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Public[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]86,804[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]753,353[/TD]

[TD="align: right"]11.5%[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

So, out of the top 25 U.S. universities with most number of foreign students,
the public or state-funded universities only have an average of
11.5% of foreign students.

If we go by this guideline, then there is still room for our public-funded
local universities to lower the proportion of foreign students further. After
all, don’t our public-funded local universities have a public duty to serve
Singaporeans first?

School Fee

Another big difference between U.S. state universities and our public-funded
local universities is that they do not and will not fund the tuition fees of
foreign students in general but we, of course, do. Our govt is one of the most
“generous” in the world when comes to dealing with foreigners, so it seems.

Take the school fees of UCLA for example [Link]: The annual
undergraduate school fee for California residents is US$14,010.13. A
non-resident student will have to pay an extra “Nonresident Supplemental Tuition
Fee” of US$22,878, paying a total of US$36,888.13 (i.e, 2.6 times).

In other words, not only UCLA doesn’t subsidize foreign students, they don’t
even subsidize U.S. students coming from outside California. Singapore, of
course, has no qualms subsidizing students coming from even overseas.

Indeed, a TRE reader wrote, “The issue is not just NUS/NTU/SMU having govt
enforced quotas for foreign students – the issue is also why foreign students
are also given the SAME GOVT SUBSIDIES as that for Singaporean students?”

“Singapore govt apparently think it’s very rich and can act like Santa Claus
to throw money at foreigners when there is much to be spent on
Singaporeans.”

.

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.

 

[scroobal]

He is truly an idiot. An American kid who wants to go to University will get to go to one in the US. It might not be the best but they still get to do subjects close to their hearts.

The same cannot be said of locals who can be accepted in the western universities but cannot gain admission to a local one.

I know of kids who cannot get into any course in Singapore but Re admitted to Uni overseas. I know of a one who is going to complete a pharmacy course overseas which is recognised here but she could not even get entry to local university.

We tried to be elitist but we drop to our knees and admit even a foreign doctor who has been disbarred and obviously has lied about his situation. And he now holds a senior position.