The Australian 27 April 2012
SOME universities are in for a tough year with official figures showing the downturn in the number of new overseas students has deepened. In the year to March, higher education commencements fell six per cent to 52,101, according to Australian Education International. (The key China market was down 6.9%.) Higher education starts across all markets fell by only two per cent in the year to March 2011 and the decline last calendar year was 4.9%. However, a lead indicator for universities, the English college sector, is showing some signs of recovery.