The implications of funding on enrolment rates of international postgraduate students: The case of engineering students

Abstract

In the quest for knowledge, more and more students are leaving home and venturing to other continents to earn undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. In some cases, these students bear the brunt of their fees and in other cases, these fees are subsidized or fully paid for by governments, institutions and organisations through grants, aids, student loans and scholarships. Over the years the education sector in numerous countries especially after the economic meltdown, have been experiencing budget cuts and fluctuations in government funding of higher institution programmes. Students are looking elsewhere for funds to earn their degrees. Even STEM courses, having come into focus and received attention and support lately from governments all over the world, is not left out. This paper examines the availability and accessibility of funding and its effect on international student enrolment rates in graduate engineering programmes. All types of funding and aid schemes have a positive impact on enrolment decisions of international postgraduate engineering students but funding has been insufficient to match the demand and high cost of international student’s tuition which is one of the reasons for declining enrolment numbers. Government and private sector collaboration in providing better funding for postgraduate education is imperative for augmenting current funding efforts to aid prospective students in acquiring degrees both locally and internationally.