In the academic year of 2017-2018, the number of high school graduates in Taiwan enrolling in overseas bachelor programs is approaching 1,584, 2.52 times the number in 2011, 627, based on the most recent statistic by Ministry of Education in Taiwan. It comprised merely 0.72% of the total number of graduates; however, the percentage has been stably growing since then, regardless the decreasing birthrate and population. The possible reasons are Influence of the globalization and the active recruitment of students in Taiwan by internationally renowned schools, and the uncertainty caused by the changeable education policies.

Here are the key findings.

1.      The ratio of the number from the top 10 schools to the total number of high school graduates studying abroad is around 37%.

2.      In 2017, the five schools with the most graduates choosing to study abroad were as follows (ranked in descending order): the private Kang Chiao Bilingual School (187 students), National Experimental High School at Hsinchu Science Park (61 students), Ming-Dao High School (50 students), I-Shou International School (47 students), and Washington High School (47 students). Among the traditional elite public schools, The Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University had the most number of graduating students studying overseas (47 students), followed by Taipei First Girls High School (45 students). National Wu-Ling Senior High School increased to 26, and National Taichung First Senior High School surged from 1 to 11. Some private schools have a higher percentage of students studying abroad because of the operation mission and/ or the smaller number of students. For example, Kang Chiao Bilingual School had 74% of its graduating students studying overseas in 2017, same as at the private I-Shou International School, with a figure over 60%, while at the Taipei Fushing Private School, it was over 25%. Research indicates that this is also related to the fact that these schools label themselves as bilingual schools, or they have special courses for studying overseas purposes. On the other hand, the National Experimental High School at Hsinchu Science Park was purposefully set up to provide schooling for the families working at Hsinchu Science Park, families with foreign nationality children born to Taiwanese parents or children of returning scholars from overseas; the school had almost 30% of its students studying overseas after graduation. 

According to the data from the Ministry of Education (MOE), here are the key findings:

- The number of students enrolled in schools in major countries overseas had risen by 2,700 to nearly 40,000 in 2016, setting an 11-year high.

- The number of people who took out student loans to study abroad in 2016 topped 700, the most in the last five years in Taiwan.

- There were only about 37.0 percent of those who would like to pursue a higher degree were interested in graduate programs in Taiwan, with the rest wanting to go overseas.

- The top destination for those hoping to study abroad was the United States and Canada, followed by Europe and Japan.

More details and data tables are as below:

The Ministry of Education, which at one point was concerned not enough young Taiwanese were going abroad, found in 2016 that the number of students enrolled in schools in major countries overseas had risen by 2,700 to nearly 40,000, setting an 11-year high.

The number of people who took out student loans to study abroad last year topped 700, the most in the last five years, indicating that young people are heading abroad in increasing numbers, even if they have to borrow money to do it.

 

At the end of June this year, one of the most popular magazines in Taiwan - CommonWealth conducted a “Survey on NTU(National Taiwan University) Graduates’ Intentions and Motivation in Going Abroad.” Online questionnaires were sent to the 18 departments that have the highest test scores required for admission.

The survey found that 48.0 percent of respondents planned to continue their studies immediately after graduating or after working for a couple of years. Another 40.9 percent said they would enter the job market, while 10 percent were preparing for national exams (to apply for civil servant jobs). Of the nearly half that wanted to pursue a higher degree, only about a third (37.0 percent) were interested in graduate programs in Taiwan, with the rest wanting to go overseas.

 

The top destination for those hoping to study abroad was the United States and Canada, chosen by 70 percent of respondents, followed by Europe and Japan. The top consideration cited by 85 percent of those wanting to go abroad when choosing an overseas location was career development, followed by the caliber of education.

Overall, 40 percent of the students graduating from the 18 leading departments were planning to go abroad to advance their studies or head overseas to work, and they are likely to settle in another country.

Also, Taiwanese students’ practice of “voting for schools with their feet” has seen a dramatic shift in the past five years. Citing Ministry of Education statistics, NTU’s Kang, the deputy vice president for academic affairs says the number of senior high school students in Taiwan who immediately go abroad after graduating doubled in six years to 1,478 in the 2016 school year.

 <See full article of CommonWealth>

http://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=1649

Data from Department of Statistics, Ministry of Education, Taiwan

Reference: CommonWealth, http://english.cw.com.tw/

In January 2013, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued a decision entitled Regulation on Overseas Study of Vietnamese Citizens. The third chapter of the decision was of special interest to educational consulting companies.titled e“Management of Overseas Study Services” , this section stated that education agents would subsequently need to meet certain requirements in order to obtain certification. These requirements include the following:

• “The head of the organization of overseas study consultation services and the staff directly giving advice on overseas study must have a university degree or higher, be fluent in at least one foreign language and  possess the certificate of oversea (s) study consultation profession training granted by the Ministry of Education and Training” (MoET);"

• The agent  must demonstrate sufficient financial capacity “to ensure the settlement of cases of risk:”having a minimum deposit of VND 500 million (about US$22,400) per office in a commercial bank.

Local Departments of Education and Training (DoETs) are responsible for organizing the necessary training as mentioned above and overseeing the certification process, including a final exam that advisers must pass in order to receive their certification. The purpose of these regulations is to raise the standards of practice by regulating educational consulting companies at some level.

On July 1 2016, these certification requirements were abruptly discontinued, meaning that even more companies could additionally enter already extremely competitive market in Vietnam. Basically going back in time to 2012, the market continues to expand and mature. Through its National Assembly (Vietnam’s legislative body), the government thereby intends to limit bureaucracy and open up the market, giving students and parents more choices when it comes to select an education agent.

For example, eliminating the financial requirement is one less burden for existing companies and one less obstacle for new entrants. This new policy, or rather a return to the state of affairs of four years ago, is a sign of flexibility, a characteristic that the Vietnamese government values and has exhibited time and time and again in education and in many other fields.The role of the parent include doing extensive homework. Without external stamps of approval it is now up to them to decide which company will provide the highest-quality service for a most precious commodity, which is their children’s overseas study experience. They must do so based on their knowledge, comparison shopping, and thier own intuition. In respect to of international educators, the main change will be that they should expect to receive more solicitations from new education agents in Vietnam. This is of course a double-edged sword meaning more choices for students and parents but also potentially more work involved in screening new agent contacts.

There is plenty of help along the way, including professional associations such as NAFSA: Association of International Educators and, in particular, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, or NACAC, which approved a change to its ethical standards permitting the use of commissioned agents in the recruitment of international students in September 2013.The promising trend of rising consumer expectations in Vietnam is truer than ever. There are more parents and students who are now “educated consumers,” and who ask more and better questions based on access to higher-quality information both online and from their network of family and friends studying overseas. At the same time, education agents that value integrity and long-term success over short-term profit should embrace the notion that doing business ethically makes for better business. All in all, this is good news for all who work as members of a recruitment and student services team in facilitating individual investments in education that ultimately result in a public good.