Students Without Borders

Megan McHaney - President for Education & Employability

Jenny Batty - President for Welfare & Equal Opportunities

Internationalising the Student Experience

NUS believes that a global university will have a truly mobile student population

• What do you think stops international students coming to study in the UK?

• What do you think stops home students studying abroad?

Barriers to studying in the UK

• Finance• Culture• Language Ability• Academic Ability• Visas

Barriers to studying abroad

• Finance• Language Ability• Increasing length of degree• Cultural Barriers• Time away from home• Dependants • Not relevant to course

Why haven’t you, or why aren’t you planning, to study abroad?Not relevant/applicable to my course

Concern about financial implications

Lack/uncertain of language ability

Worried about having to study for another year

Wasn’t aware of opportunity

Don’t want to

Family commitments/have a child

Base: All domestic students who haven’t, or aren’t planning to, study abroad 2009 (591); All domestic students who haven’t, or aren’t planning to, study abroad 2010 (2138)

Students Studying Abroad

• Recent estimates suggest 33,000 UK students

are studying abroad, while 370,000 foreign

students are studying in the UK.

• The students who studied abroad were more

likely to be from higher socio-economic

classes.

• They were less likely to be from an ethnic

minority.

Benefits of Study Abroad...

• Greater confidence/ independence

• Broaden horizons – New friends– New culture

• Language skills• Better profile of

degree results• Improved employment

prospects

Bologna Target

• A global university is marked by having a significant number of its students studying or doing work placements overseas as part of their course.

• Institutions should aim to meet the Bologna Target of providing at least 20 per cent of their students with these opportunities by 2020.

How can we address these barriers?

Barriers to individuals

• Finance• Language Ability• Increasing length of

degree• Cultural Barriers• Time away from home• Dependants • Not relevant to course

Barriers to certain groups in society

• Lower socio-economic groups

• Students of ethnic minorities

Possible Solutions

• Embed this into courses– Recognition– Integration– Credit

• Finances available – grants/loans• Visas• Language courses• Cultural awareness – AUSA, societies,

academic staff

Thinking outside of the box

• Study abroad• Volunteer abroad• Work abroad• Representation – AUSA, NUS and ESU• Targeting specific groups

– Connecting with schools– Projects e.g. Students Without Borders/Wish

you Were There

• Student, graduate and staff mobility

Becoming a Global University

NUS Global University Charter

1. Every university should have an international strategy

2. Students' unions should engage students to develop a global university

3. Institutions should provide accurate and accessible information when recruiting international students

4. Universities should have a transparent process for recognising qualifications and credit obtained in other countries

5. Universities should have a well-planned induction and academic transition for international students

6. Institutions should consider income from fees as a by-product, not an aim

7. Universities should support international students effectively

8. Institutions should be fully integrated in the Bologna Process

9. A global university will have a truly mobile student population

10. Institutions should have an internationally-focussed team of staff

A Global Learning Experience...

• Concerns– Finances– Visas

• Hopes• Dreams

Megan McHaney Pres.education@abdn.ac.uk

Jenny Batty Pres.welfare@abdn.ac.uk

NUS Scotland - Students Without Borders

Heather McKnight (inward)

Helen O’Shea (outward)