Increasing growth in international student enrolments is a target for thousands of universities across the world. But what happens when success is faster than anticipated? This session explores the challenges of international growth for two institutions – The University of Melbourne and The University of Manchester.
With over 10,000 international full-degree students on campus, The University of Melbourne currently hosts the largest on-campus cohort of international students in Australia. The University’s international growth has been rapid and comparatively recent, with enrolments tripling over the course of a decade.
The University of Manchester was established in 2004 with the merger of UMIST and the Victoria University of Manchester, with the new institution aiming to be in the top 25 universities in the world by 2015. A key part of its ambitious strategy is to maximise its intake of international students.
For Melbourne, the pace of growth has brought its own set of challenges as the University attempts to continuously refine the strategic intent of its international student programme. For Manchester, bringing together two successful universities has brought a range of challenges to the academic and administrative staff involved. This session explores the drivers behind the successes of both institutions, addressing how current challenges are being tackled and a forward look at the future of the Melbourne and Manchester models.
