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> *[www.buyusa.gov/studyusa](http://www.buyusa.gov/studyusa)*

###### HELPING YOU EDUCATE THE WORLD

Education and training is our county's 5^th^ largest services export,
bringing over \$12 billion in annual revenue to the United States, as
well as enormous benefits of cultural and international understanding
that are impossible to quantify. U.S. Department of Commerce Export
Assistance Centers around the country work to help expand exports of
U.S. products and services. This newsletter is a free service provided
to U.S. educational institutions interested in expanding their
international marketing and student recruitment. It is compiled and
edited by the U.S. Department of Commerce education team, currently
headed by Jim Paul of the Boston Export Assistance Center. Comments and
feedback on this newsletter are appreciated.

*Please check the boxes next to the items of interest to you, complete
the brief form at the end of this newsletter,*

*and fax or e-mail it back to the trade specialist above to receive more
detailed information and consultation.*

###### COUNTRY FEATURE: CHINA 

Chinese student interest in overseas study has grown dramatically over
the past 20 years, with the United States as the preferred destination.
While the recent lull in the number of Chinese students studying abroad
worldwide has generated concern on university campuses, this trend is
likely a temporary adjustment to China's maturing domestic education
market and implementation of new visa procedures. Recent statistics
indicate that U.S. universities and colleges remain the top destination
for overseas study.

##### 

Over the past several years, more than 100,000 Chinese students have
studied abroad annually, up from only 4,900 students in the mid-1980s.
China's opening to the outside world after decades of relative isolation
combined with implementation of aggressive economic reforms beginning in
the early 1980s served as the stimulus for the growing wave of Chinese
students studying abroad. According to the United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), China sends more
students abroad than any other nation, worldwide.

Having emerged as one of the world's most dynamic economies and boasting
rising disposable incomes and high savings rates, many Chinese families
are financially able to send their children abroad to be educated. In
2003, Ministry of Education (MOE) statistics indicate that 93% of
students studying abroad were self-financed with the remaining 7%
financed by employers. A survey by the National Bureau of Statistics
(NBS) found that Chinese families spend 10 percent of their savings on
education, which has grown approximately 29 percent annually since 1990.
In addition to savings, a growing number of middle-class Chinese
families borrow money to finance the overseas education of their only
child, as an international degree often ensures young professionals
significant advantages in China's increasingly competitive marketplace.

U.S. schools are highly respected for academic excellence, and
consequently, the preferred destination for Chinese students in the
market for overseas education. The U.S. boasts the most diverse
selection of schools worldwide -- more than 2,300 degree-granting
universities and colleges and 1,800 community colleges. In comparison to
other English-speaking countries, the United Kingdom has 228
degree-granting schools, followed by Canada (200), Australia (42), and
New Zealand (31). In fact, approximately one-half of Chinese students
that studied abroad during 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 academic years
studied in the United States. Chinese students compose the second
largest group of foreign students in the U.S. (after Indian students),
accounting for 11% of the 572,509 enrolled international students.

#### 

Well known colleges and universities have greater name recognition and
thus, require less active student recruiting programs. However, this is
not the case for the majority of U.S. universities and colleges. In a
brand conscious market, less well-known schools must implement active
and strategic recruitment programs to establish credibility in China's
increasingly savvy education market. Access to China's overseas study
market is generally accessed through the following channels:

• Direct Recruitment via Education Fairs

Schools that opt for direct student recruitment usually participate in
any number of China's international and domestic education fairs.
Carefully selected as fairs target different market segments -- i.e.
undergraduate versus graduate students.

• Recruitment via Partner Organization

> Some schools also partner with local universities or
> recruitment/overseas advising centers to recruit students. As foreign
> universities have become a magnet for Chinese students, a cottage
> industry of agencies, brokers and go-between firms has developed. In
> recent years, the Chinese government has moved to license such
> companies. CS China can assist U.S. universities connect with
> authorized recruitment agencies and overseas advising centers. These
> organizations vary in scope, but generally provide information on
> foreign universities and offer guidance with assessment tests, school
> application materials, passport and visa procedures. They can also
> serve as an active recruitment agent promoting, particular foreign
> universities. Services are provided on either a commission basis or
> paid by the student. Schools beware of "visa touts" by carefully
> screening potential partners to ensure that they are actively involved
> legitimate student recruitment.

Approximately 82% of Chinese students studying in the United States are
post-graduate students. However, the number of undergraduate students
studying abroad is rising. Chinese students have traditionally gone
abroad to pursue studies related to sciences, but are beginning to
branch out into other areas including business, economics, and social
sciences. In addition to undergraduate and post-graduate students, local
recruitment agencies indicate that wealthy Chinese families are
beginning to express interest in sending their high school age children
abroad for study at private college preparatory schools. While this
segment of China's overseas study market is very small, it is a niche
market that will grow as the urban elite in China's major cities
continues to expand.

Students at all levels generally obtain information regarding overseas
study opportunities from the Internet, agencies, and exhibitions.
However, some students, particularly at the undergraduate level, are
learning about overseas study through "1-2-1" programs offered at their
university. Some Chinese universities together with foreign partners,
have designed "1-2-1" articulation agreements that offer Chinese
students a two-year study abroad option for undergraduates. Through such
arrangements, foreign universities are able to tap into China's market
for overseas study for two years of an undergraduate student's four-year
academic career. The student completes the first year of undergraduate
study in China, followed by two years abroad at the foreign university,
after which the student would return to China for the final year of
undergraduate study to receive a bachelor's degree. Such a model is
increasingly commonplace in universities across China.

*The above is an excerpt from a report prepared in September 2005 by the
U.S. Commercial Service in China.*

###### SUCCESS STORY: CS Helps Pave Way for DePaul Campus in Jordan

**DePaul University School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and
Information Services (CTI)** in Chicago is one of the largest graduate
information technology programs in the United States, with more than
3600 students. Trade Specialist Debra Rogers has worked with CTI since
2001, but recently CTI has become increasingly internationally active,
especially in the area of forming global partnerships leading to Masters
of Science degree programs.

In July 2005, Adam Kashuba, Director of DePaul\'s Global CTI effort,
notified Ms. Rogers that CTI had signed an MOU with Al-Balqa Applied
University (BAU) to open a CTI branch campus in Amman, Jordan. Through
this partnership, CTI would be offering masters degrees in Information
Systems, Telecommunications Systems, Software Engineering; and Computer,
Information, and Network Security. In August, Mr. Kashuba traveled to
Jordan to finalize the arrangements and make sure everything was in
place to start classes on September 6. Ms. Rogers informed Senior
Commercial Officer (SCO) Laurie Farris at the U.S. Commercial Service in
Amman (CS Amman) of the CTI/BAU partner-ship and Mr. Kashuba\'s travel
plans, and she suggested to Mr. Kashuba, that he might call on SCO
Farris and invite her to the opening ceremony.

To solidify the partnership and gain the appropriate approvals, SCO
Farris, together with Steven Ramirez of the State Department, helped Mr.
Kashuba arrange a series of meetings with appropriate officials,
culminating in a meeting with the Ministry of Higher Education. SCO
Farris accompanied Mr. Kashuba to all his meetings with government
officials, and followed up with them to assure receipt of the written
approval.

Classes ended up starting about 10 days later than originally planned,
but the necessary approvals were received, and 45 students started as a
cohort on a two-year course of study leading to the MS degree. Forty
students are already enrolled for the next cohort, some starting this
winter and others taking prerequisite courses this December.

While accustomed to prompt and helpful assistance from the Chicago
Export Assistance Center, Mr. Kashuba remarked that he was extremely
pleased by the extent of assistance he received from CS Amman. He noted
that SCO Farris jumped right in, and that DePaul could not have pulled
this off in the time necessary without her help.

###### NEW MARKET RESEARCH

*Our specialists abroad develop market research to help you evaluate
markets for your educational services. Research ranges from*

*short reports on areas of opportunity to detailed market and industry
reports. Below are a few examples of some of our most recent*

> *market research reports available FREE OF COST. Please check the
> boxes next to the items of interest to you, complete the brief form at
> the end of this newsletter, and fax or e-mail it back to the trade
> specialist above to receive the complete reports.*

**Detailed Country Reports:**

-   **Malaysia Undergraduate Studies- Malaysian Students to USA October
    27, 2005**

-   **Thailand Market Potential for Graduate and Undergraduate
    Recruitment October 20, 2005**

-   **China Market for Management Education October 18, 2005**

-   **China Overseas Study Market September 26, 2005**

-   **Venezuela ESL Services Overview September 19,2005**

-   **West Bank Palestinian Education and Training Service Sector Brief
    September 2, 2005**

-   **Chile English as a Second Language Show August 26, 2005**

-   **Turkey English as a Second Language Instruction in Turkey August
    17, 2005**

-   **Germany Market for e-learning Systems August 11, 2005**

-   **Turkey Education Minister Pronouncement August 3, 2005**

*These reports can also be found at www.export.gov.*

###### PROMOTIONAL EVENTS

*The U.S. Department of Commerce develops and/or supports promotional
fairs abroad at which U.S. educational institutions can recruit
international students and meet with educational multipliers and agents.
Events include trade missions, promotional fairs and educational
seminars. Below is a list of our upcoming programs.*

-   **February 12-16, 2006 American Education Expo - GULF 2006**

Fairs organized by International Student Network (ISN). The U.S.
Commercial Service has certified these education fairs and will be
providing support logistical and promotional support. Dubai on 2/12 and
2/13/06, Abu Dhabi on 2/14/06, Kuwait City on 2/16/06. See
*http://www.isnexpo.com.*

-   **March 13-16, 2006: Education and Career Development Expo -
    Kuwait**

Exhibitors at this show are international & Kuwaiti public & private
universities, colleges, language schools, educational & training
institutes, consulting centers, and career development institutes.
Amideast will have a booth to counsel those interested in studying in
the U.S., and the U.S. Commercial Service in Kuwait is organizing a
literature display booth for interested U.S. educational institutions
and companies (cost: \$400). The U.S. Commercial Service will provide a
briefing on the Kuwaiti education market to all U.S. exhibitors, and if
there are enough, they will also organize a U.S. pavilion. Career
training, especially IEP's and computer skill courses, is in high
demand. Also, the Kuwaiti Government sends a fairly large number of its
students to study in the U.S. For more information on this show and
background on the Kuwaiti education market, please contact the trade
specialist listed at the top of this newsletter.

-   **March 27-30, 2006: Bologna Children's Book Fair - Italy**

The U.S. Commercial Service of the Department of Commerce is pleased to
announce its collaboration with the Association of Educational
Publishers on the 2006 Global Learning Initiative (GLI) at the Bologna
Children's Book Fair to be held in Bologna, Italy, March 27-30, 2006. We
would like to encourage U.S. companies in the educational publishing
field---both print and multimedia\-- to participate in this important
opportunity to increase your international business. Much more than a
space within the Fair, the GLI is a program to bring together print and
multimedia publishers of educational books, materials, software, and
video from around the world. The initiative includes matchmaking
appointments, workshops on doing business internationally, a speaker
series, an awards program, networking receptions, market research
materials, and more. To help you make the most of your presence at the
Fair, the U.S. Commercial Service will provide U.S. exhibitors with a
complete package of business facilitation and promotional services
including: a personalized schedule of one-on-one appointments with
potential partners; extensive marketing of your presence at the
exhibition; onsite assistance/counseling from Commercial Service staff
for the duration of the Fair; shipping assistance; and a pre-fair
briefing.

□ **April 27, 2006: Study USA - Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico**\
Since 2000, the number of Mexican students studying in the United States
has increased by approximately 20 percent, making Mexico the 7th largest
source of international students. Prospective students from Baja
California find study in the United States particularly accessible and
attractive. As this Mexican state's economy is largely internationally
focused, a U.S. degree gives students from Baja California an advantage
in the local labor market. This event will introduce thousands of high
school and college students, as well as business executives, from the
Baja Peninsula to a wide range of study opportunities in the United
States. The fee for one 10'X 10' standard booth is US\$750.00. For more
information, please contact Judith Valdes
([judith.valdes@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov](mailto:judith.valdes@mail.doc.gov))
with our office in Tijuana.

-   **October 25-27, 2006 - WorldDidac 2006 - Basel, Switzerland**

This show covers supplies and equipment used for basic education up to
post-graduate and professional education. IT and relevant software is
heavily represented as well as advanced laboratory instruments used at
universities, simulators (e.g. for driving), language labs as well as
education games for children. Special equipment for handicapped is also
well represented. This show saw 450 exhibitors from 25 countries and
18,000 trade visitors from 42 countries in 2004. The show is also
attended by many official buyer delegations at the ministerial level.
\*Save the date.\*

*Updated information on upcoming events can also be found at*
[www.buyusa.gov/studyusa](http://www.buyusa.gov/studyusa).

###### MORE INFORMATION

For more information on any of the programs and market research
mentioned please complete the following, check the boxes

next to newsletter items of interest and fax or e-mail this document to
the contact listed on the top of the first page.

Your Name Organization

Title E-mail address

Telephone Fax Number

Comments

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