Beloit College in the US has published its popular annual mind-set list, aimed at helping academics to understand their new students. This year students heading for their first year in college are mostly aged 18 and were born in 1999.

Top pointers include:

• They are the last class to be born in the 1900s, the last of the Millennials
• They are the first generation for whom a “phone” has been primarily a video game, direction finder, electronic telegraph, and research library.
• In college, they will often think of themselves as consumers, who’ve borrowed a lot of money to be there.
• eHarmonyhas always offered an algorithm for happiness.
• There have always been emojis to cheer them up.
• They have always been searching for Pokemon.
• They may choose to submit a listiclein lieu of an admissions essay.
• Dora the Explorerand her pet monkey Boots helped to set them on the course of discovery.

– Beloit College Mindset List. Read more

India’s recruitment of foreign students is “abysmally low”, depriving its universities of potential revenue, diversity and global outlook, according to a report from the Association of Indian Universities. This year’s edition of the AIU’s annual survey, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India, finds there were 30,423 international students across all the nation’s higher education institutions in 2014-15, compared with 31,126 a year earlier. Given that there are about 5 million students studying outside their home country worldwide, that gives India an “abysmally low” market share of 0.61 per cent, the report says, although it notes numbers have risen from 7,791 in 2000. – John Morgan, Times Higher. Read more

An initiative aimed at improving access to certified courses in youth work has been launched by Commonwealth countries which will support 16 universities from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Europe to offer a low-cost, internationally recognised Commonwealth bachelor degree in youth development work. The Commonwealth Higher Education Consortium for Youth Work was formally launched by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at the the Ninth Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting in Kampala, Uganda. “This initiative will help to build a new cadre of highly skilled and educated youth workers in Commonwealth countries, contributing to the growing professionalisation of the youth work sector globally,” said Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland. – Christabel Ligami, University World News. Read more

A reduction in net migration by up to 22,000 international students was among key policies detailed by New Zealand’s main political parties as they outlined their positions on international education in the lead up to the September 27 general election. Addressing NZIEC delegates in Auckland, the incumbent National and opposition Labour parties detailed a shared commitment to the sustainability of the international education industry, which currently contributes $4.5bn to New Zealand’s economy while providing significantly varied approaches to achieving that goal. Among the approaches, Labour’s education spokesperson Chris Hipkins confirmed his party’s target to reduce net migration by up to 30,000 through the removal or replacement of certain work rights, primarily targeting international students in low-level qualifications. – Anton Crace, The Pie News. Read more

England’s private schools are encouraging more pupils to learn a trade as they move away from pushing all students towards university. The numbers at independent schools taking vocational qualifications at a standard equivalent to A levels has doubled in the past four years, according to analysis by The Times. Head teachers said they were increasingly advising students to take a different path from the traditional university route, adding that more companies were hiring those with technical and business skills. – Nicola Woolcock, The Times, Read more