NZ’s uniform strategy boosts PhD numbers
AS Australian universities worry about stagnating PhD student enrolments, across the Tasman the number has soared since New Zealand further opened up to the world market in 2006 by treating foreign students the same as their domestic peers.
The changes immediately boosted enrolments, though NZ universities took a financial hit as they could no longer charge premium fees for international PhD students.
However, the NZ Government expects losses will be offset by a research rewards program for the successful completion of PhDs. And the sector is expected to benefit from a resulting boost in research output and rankings.
It is also hoped that many of the international PhD students will decide to stay in the country, filling skills shortages and helping renew NZ's stock of academics as the baby boomer generation retires.
In the first year of the changes international PhD enrolments in New Zealand jumped by 56 per cent from 693 to 1084 students. And in 2007 enrolments rose by a further 40 per cent.
"As far as we can tell it has worked," Brett Parker, a senior policy analyst with the NZ Ministry of Education, told the HES.
Mr Parker is in Australia at the invitation of Melbourne's RMIT University for briefings on the NZ experience.
He said the program had primarily been motivated by a desire to boost NZ's research performance and take up spare capacity in the system.
Ordinarily such a deregulation of the international market would have worried the sector, as average fees for international students are about $NZ25,000 (about $19,500), compared with $NZ5000 for domestic PhD students.
But Mr Parker said the universities had been brought on board by the offer of funding rewards when students graduate.
"Further funding for completion is likely to compensate for the cost," he said.
Completion rates for international students are higher than for domestic students: 65 per cent compared with about 45 per cent. If that completion rate were maintained, Mr Parker said the funding rewards would leave universities 15 per cent ahead. Completion rates more in line with domestic students would mean universities would be only slightly behind.
In response to the environment of flat growth in Australian domestic PhD numbers, and to capitalise on the increase in government scholarships, the University of Sydney has developed a new online resource aimed at providing more effective links between inquiring students and potential supervisors.
The resource, dubbed Research Supervisor Connect, tracks and follows up attempts by prospective students to connect with potential supervisors.
Sydney has more demand than places for Australian Postgraduate Awards, and last year added a further 100 scholarships, but pro vice-chancellor (research) Carol Armour said it was getting harder to attract PhD students. At only $20,000 a year, the allowance is below the poverty line, she said.
"It is difficult to support yourself on (the stipend) so it isn't an attractive proposition for everyone," Professor Armour told HES.
Backed by Universities Australia, the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations has recommended raising the allowance by 30per cent to $26,000 a year.
According to Universities Australia, while domestic research degree enrolments rose strongly in the 10 years to 2006 from 29,331 to 40,486, enrolments have plateaued in recent years.
The changes immediately boosted enrolments, though NZ universities took a financial hit as they could no longer charge premium fees for international PhD students.
However, the NZ Government expects losses will be offset by a research rewards program for the successful completion of PhDs. And the sector is expected to benefit from a resulting boost in research output and rankings.
It is also hoped that many of the international PhD students will decide to stay in the country, filling skills shortages and helping renew NZ's stock of academics as the baby boomer generation retires.
In the first year of the changes international PhD enrolments in New Zealand jumped by 56 per cent from 693 to 1084 students. And in 2007 enrolments rose by a further 40 per cent.
"As far as we can tell it has worked," Brett Parker, a senior policy analyst with the NZ Ministry of Education, told the HES.
Mr Parker is in Australia at the invitation of Melbourne's RMIT University for briefings on the NZ experience.
He said the program had primarily been motivated by a desire to boost NZ's research performance and take up spare capacity in the system.
Ordinarily such a deregulation of the international market would have worried the sector, as average fees for international students are about $NZ25,000 (about $19,500), compared with $NZ5000 for domestic PhD students.
But Mr Parker said the universities had been brought on board by the offer of funding rewards when students graduate.
"Further funding for completion is likely to compensate for the cost," he said.
Completion rates for international students are higher than for domestic students: 65 per cent compared with about 45 per cent. If that completion rate were maintained, Mr Parker said the funding rewards would leave universities 15 per cent ahead. Completion rates more in line with domestic students would mean universities would be only slightly behind.
In response to the environment of flat growth in Australian domestic PhD numbers, and to capitalise on the increase in government scholarships, the University of Sydney has developed a new online resource aimed at providing more effective links between inquiring students and potential supervisors.
The resource, dubbed Research Supervisor Connect, tracks and follows up attempts by prospective students to connect with potential supervisors.
Sydney has more demand than places for Australian Postgraduate Awards, and last year added a further 100 scholarships, but pro vice-chancellor (research) Carol Armour said it was getting harder to attract PhD students. At only $20,000 a year, the allowance is below the poverty line, she said.
"It is difficult to support yourself on (the stipend) so it isn't an attractive proposition for everyone," Professor Armour told HES.
Backed by Universities Australia, the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations has recommended raising the allowance by 30per cent to $26,000 a year.
According to Universities Australia, while domestic research degree enrolments rose strongly in the 10 years to 2006 from 29,331 to 40,486, enrolments have plateaued in recent years.