Students can have three main types of reasons students choose to study internationally, which will affect their preferences and objectives.
- Further study: The international study will lead to further study either internationally or at home.
- Career and employment: The international study will enhance the student’s career or employment prospects.
- Personal enrichment: The international study is the means by which the student can improve his/her quality of life, either through the course itself and/or through living in the destination country.
When we are planning international study with prospective students, we will should take into account their preferences and objectives, as well as the availability of courses , their entry requirements, costs, duration, content, and outcomes. We make sure courses are suitable for the prospective student in terms of both entry requirements and exit outcomes. In addition, we take into account the logistics of travel, study, and living arrangements.
Entry Requirements
As a first step, we obtain information from the prospective student about their existing qualifications, experience, and background. Then we check course entry requirements and prerequisites. Then we determine the equivalence of the student's qualifications to the course prerequisites, to ensure that the student’s academic and language proficiency matches the level he/she wishes to enter.
If the student’s qualifications and experience meet the course entry requirements, we then advise the student of the documentation needed to verify them for enrolment and visa applications.
If they do not meet entry requirements, the student must decide either to lower their study aims or to undertake some kind of bridging course to close the gap. This may be by means of a dedicated bridging or foundation course, or a lower-level course which articulates into the desired course. We will work with prospective students to develop a learning pathway consisting of such bridging courses and the desired course.
International students must usually meet minimum language requirements, which are generally expressed in terms of internationally recognised language tests (e.g., IELTS, TOEFL). We may therefore need to arrange testing of the student’s language proficiency, and if necessary, find a suitable language course. This may be a stand-alone language course, or a foundation course which includes a language component for this purpose.
Outcomes
In most cases, the outcomes are the reason the student wishes to take the course. The outcomes are the results of the course, i.e., the skills and qualifications that the student gains by doing the course, and/or any other intangible outcomes important to the student.
For most students, the qualifications will be important either for employment or career purposes. For many students, the intangible outcomes will be as important as, if not more important than, the actual qualifications gained. Intangible outcomes include such things as experience in the culture of the destination country, contacts with local people and other international students, cultural or sporting pursuits, travel and sightseeing, and so on.
We first establish the prospective student’s reasons for taking a course, what type of course(s) they are interested in, their cost base, and time frames, then we recommend a course based on how well its outcomes fit the student’s aims and means.