Decrease In Number Of International Students In CQU:

I am writing this article after reading news published in news.com.au website regarding decrease in number of International Students that may be affecting Central Queensland University’s financial capability. Even though it is not mentioned directly but all the facts clearly state that the reason of decrease in institution’s financial capability is due to decrease in number of international students. And the major factor is last year strike of International students against the university for failing students in exam only to get extra money out of them.

I have heard from one of my friend that CQU is providing scholarships to student from Bangladesh; I think this news is published in local Bangladeshi newspapers. I would suggest those students to read this article carefully and also read an other article with title Cash Cows, may be it give them some extra information and can help them in taking decision.

QUEENSLAND Treasury officials have been forced to step in to review the finances of one of the state’s biggest universities after a dramatic slump in student numbers.

Central Queensland University, which boosts the second-highest paid vice-chancellor in the state, is co-operating with the review into its operations by authorities worried about the institution’s financial viability.

CQU, which has campuses along the Queensland coast, has endured several years of controversy over its management and reliance on international students. However, vice-chancellor John Rickard blamed the ongoing resources boom and a change in rules governing the study choices of international students for the university’s woes.

Professor Rickard made headlines last year when it was revealed his salary package was nearly $700,000 a year, making him the second-highest paid university executive in Queensland. Student numbers at the university have plummeted from 26,000 three years ago to 21,300 last year.

Much of the staggering decline has been due to a fall in the number of international students, but the student populations at campuses such as Rockhampton, Mackay and Bundaberg have also halved.

Education Minister Rod Wellford said the recent drop in international student numbers at the university was the catalyst for the review, even though CQU’s presence in the international market had been “by and large” successful.

“International students have been the cash cow to enable the university to offer the range of courses it offers at Rockhampton and other campuses,” he said.

“Its long-term viability, at least in terms of its present structure, depends on a strong international education sector.”

CQU has gone after the lucrative overseas student market in the past decade and now has the largest proportion of international students of any Australian university. About 10,000 students, or half of its student body, are from overseas.

Source Of Information: News.com.au

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