Spill The News

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Keystone Education Group released its annual report, The State of Student Recruitment 2026 , last week. Presenting at the NAFSA conference in Orlando, Dr Mark Bennett, Keystone’s Vice President of Research & Insight, shared highlights from…

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There was something different about this year’s annual NAFSA conference. The experience was wonderfully familiar in many ways, including the great conversations with colleagues, the many inspirational moments, and the steady drumbeat of…

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In 2024, a slow recovery from plummeting international enrolments in the COVID-19 pandemic was underway for US Intensive English Programme providers (IEPs). Student numbers were up +2% year-over-year, and weeks (the total number of weeks…

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Tighter compliance thresholds for UK universities recruiting international students – and the associated “Red, Amber, Green” scheme developed by the Home Office – are now in effect. As of 1 June 2026, universities will be judged according…

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Nearly 170,000 Japanese students studied abroad using one of 41 service providers in Japan in 2025, with the vast majority choosing to do so via group tours or educational study trips. The data comes from the JAOS Research Institute and is…

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If you are an international student prospect, where you live in the world increasingly determines where you can study abroad – as does your intention to stay in, or leave, a host country after completing your studies. This has always been…

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Earlier this year, I found myself reflecting on what I could do a little differently on LinkedIn to share some of my experience and observations around transnational education (TNE) and, more broadly, internationalisation, two subjects…

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Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap some of the latest developments in our sector, including increased government scrutiny of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme in the United States and early…

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Demand for study in Canada may be on the rebound, according to search data from two major international student recruitment companies, Keystone Education Group and IDP. This recent trend contrasts with plummeting student interest in 2024…

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UNESCO’s first Higher Education Global Trends Report confirms that while traditional destinations for study abroad continue to be the most popular choices for international students, there are important changes afoot, with countries such…

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Last year, the number of foreign students in UK higher education declined by -6%, according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). And now, government data shows that applications for study visas were down…

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In a legislative instrument dated 18 May 2025 , Australia’s Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill has ordered a 12-month freeze on the establishment of new private training centres as well as new courses offered by…

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This special feature is brought you in partnership with International Humanitarian College London (IHCL). A newly released UNESCO report reveals that higher education enrolments have more than doubled globally over the past 25 years,…

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New Zealand’s foreign enrolment grew by 11% last year, bringing the international student base in the country to 80% of its pre-COVID high point. The latest data from Education New Zealand reports a total enrolment of 92,580 international…

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has intensified its scrutiny of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) post-study work programme for international graduates of American universities. On 12 May, Todd M. Lyons, ICE’s acting…

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New IDP Emerging Futures research reveals that visa concerns are now influencing international students’ decision-making earlier than in the past. And, if obtaining a visa for a preferred destination seems too difficult, uncertain, or…

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Through the first quarter of 2026, restrictive immigration settings in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US continued to (1) reduce inflows of new foreign students to universities in those countries and (2) increase student interest in…

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Findings from a February-March 2026 pulse survey conducted by the British Educational Travel Association (BETA) highlight “growing pressure” on inbound youth travel to the UK this year. The survey gathered responses from 211 international…

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Data from Malta’s National Statistics Office shows that the characteristics of Malta’s English Language Teaching (ELT) sector are evolving. The number of students coming from top European markets including Italy, France, and Spain is…

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The UK will rejoin the Erasmus+ mobility programme in 2027 for an initial one-year term. This will end the country’s six-year absence in the programme that was prompted by Brexit in 2021. Erasmus+ is the EU’s main programme for encouraging…

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It is likely that as of September 2026, most international students in the US will need to complete their programmes in four years or less unless they receive an extension from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This is…

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As we speak, many international student prospects are changing their minds about what they should study. Over just a couple of years, the simple equation of a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) programme = best chance at a…

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It is now just over two months since the United States and Israel first launched coordinated military strikes against Iran on 28 February 2026. The war has already cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars. it has also led to…

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Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap some of the latest developments in our sector, including the new pressures on the ROI that students expect from study abroad and how education agents are looking at recruitment…

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French Higher Education, Research and Space Minister Philippe Baptiste announced on 21 April that almost all non-EU students coming to France for the 2026/27 academic year will be required to pay annual tuition of €2,895 (US$3,391) for a…

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Two important new global studies – the 2025 iterations of the British Council’s Global Perceptions survey and QS’s Global Student Flows project – suggest that youth are craving certainty in an increasingly unpredictable and volatile world,…

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Of universities in the UK surveyed recently by the British Universities International Liaison Association (BUILA), 7 in 10 reported declines in international postgraduate students in January 2026 compared with January 2025. Across the…

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Etio’s International Student Barometer (ISB) is the world’s largest international student experience survey of enrolled students. The most recent edition of the ISB gathered responses from 93,843 international students from 135…

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A new analysis of student visa trends suggests that the next couple of years – at the least – look grim for Australia’s English-language training schools (ELICOS) and vocational education providers (VET). They will also present significant…

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More restrictive immigration policies in the Big Four destinations – Australia, Canada, UK, and the United States – are concerning some international students about the return on investment (ROI) of study abroad. Prospective students are…

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Canada approved only 75,372 new study permits in 2025. This represents a -64% drop year-over-year, and an -18% decline from the previous low in 2020 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. New Canadian post-secondary study permits approved,…

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More restrictive immigration policies in the Big Four destinations – Australia, Canada, UK, and the United States – are concerning some international students about the return on investment (ROI) of study abroad. Prospective students are…

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Canada approved only 75,372 new study permits in 2025. This represents a -64% drop year-over-year, and an -18% decline from the previous low in 2020 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. New Canadian post-secondary study permits approved,…

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The UK government has expanded its regulatory oversight for British institutions’ engagement with education agents. The existing structure for student visas in the UK provides an important backdrop for these changes. In brief, to sponsor a…

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A new report from Shorelight called Beyond the Interview: A Decade of Student Visa Denials and What Comes Next , reveals that (1) record-high numbers of prospective international student are having their F-1 visa applications refused and…

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The UK government has expanded its regulatory oversight for British institutions’ engagement with education agents. The existing structure for student visas in the UK provides an important backdrop for these changes. In brief, to sponsor a…

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A new report from Shorelight called Beyond the Interview: A Decade of Student Visa Denials and What Comes Next , reveals that (1) record-high numbers of prospective international student are having their F-1 visa applications refused and…

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A new report from Studyportals and the British Council, “ Asia, Latin America, and MENA in global education ,” demonstrates the continued rise of study abroad destinations outside of the Big Four anglophone countries. Of the three featured…

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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has introduced a package of amendments to the current rules around student work placements – such as co-ops and internships – and plans to ease some of the processes around work permits…

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Australian universities have so far faced fewer challenges than English-language training (ELICOS) and vocational education providers in the wake of more restrictive policy settings for the international education sector. But this seems to…

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The current political climate in the United State has spurred a flurry of proposals and rules affecting the rights of foreign visitors, students, and other visa holders to enter, work in, or immigrate to the US. The overall policy…

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A new report from Studyportals and the British Council, “ Asia, Latin America, and MENA in global education ,” demonstrates the continued rise of study abroad destinations outside of the Big Four anglophone countries. Of the three featured…

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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has introduced a package of amendments to the current rules around student work placements – such as co-ops and internships – and plans to ease some of the processes around work permits…

Summary

Australian universities have so far faced fewer challenges than English-language training (ELICOS) and vocational education providers in the wake of more restrictive policy settings for the international education sector. But this seems to…

Summary

The current political climate in the United State has spurred a flurry of proposals and rules affecting the rights of foreign visitors, students, and other visa holders to enter, work in, or immigrate to the US. The overall policy…