The Market Monitor Digest (week 43/2025)
We're glad to bring you the key highlights from this week’s industry news. Thanks to the research from the BONARD Market Monitor team, you’re always in step with the latest market trends.
International Education
Canada & Morocco: Atlantic Canada Language Academy expands transnational education with new partnership in Nador
By Study Atlantic, Oct 16, 2025
Nova Scotia-based Atlantic Canada Language Academy has announced its second transnational education partnership, collaborating with Moroccan NGO CECODEL in Nador. The initiative establishes classroom facilities in Morocco where students can take English programs delivered directly from Canada, combining in-person learning with online instruction from Canadian educators.
Australia: Australia adds 17,500 study spots for foreign students despite tougher visa rules
By VnExpress, Oct 17, 2025
Australia plans to add 17,500 international student places at 32 public universities in 2026, even as visa applications drop under tougher immigration rules.
Japan: Accelerated graduate study in Japan raises quality concerns
By Times Higher Education, Oct 17, 2025
Japan’s Ministry of Education (MEXT) plans to shift to a “four-plus-one” model for higher education, allowing students to complete a master’s degree in one year instead of two. The reform aims to address labour shortages and Japan’s low postgraduate enrolment rate (12.6%), aligning more closely with North American professional master’s structures.
UK: Increase in student visa applications for the UK
By Study Travel, Oct 20, 2025
The number of applications for UK student visas from main applicants increased by seven per cent in the year ending September 2025. However, it remains to be seen whether two recent policy announcements by the UK government will impact on student demand.
Ireland: TNE “very much of interest” for Irish unis
By The PIE News, Oct 20, 2025
Irish institutions are eyeing further opportunities for transnational education following a slew of successful projects overseas. UCD currently has three joint colleges in China, which Feely said had been “incredibly successful”, with the institution pleased with the relationships it has made in the area, as well as the quality of the education on offer.
US: F-1 to H-1B transitions to be exempt from $100K fee
By The PIE News, Oct 21, 2025
US Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that the fee would not apply to a “change of status” including F-1 students switching to H-1B skilled worker visas, in new guidance issued October 20. The notice relates to the government’s September 19 proclamation hiking the H-1B visa fee to $100,000, which shocked employers and prospective workers, causing confusion about whether the fee would apply to H-1B visa holders currently outside the US.
India: Study abroad remittances from India at lowest level in eight years
By The PIE News, Oct 21, 2025
Just in the past year, study abroad remittances have dropped by $280m, a 22% decline between 2024 and 2025, aligning with the roughly 15% fall in Indian students studying abroad in 2024, even as emerging study destinations, such as Germany, France, and Russia, saw an uptick.
Norway: Universities make own decisions about foreign student fees
By University World News, Oct 22, 2025
Ongoing uncertainty about the university tuition fees to be charged to third country students embarking on studies in 2026 and 2027 means Norwegian universities are making their own decisions about fees – a situation attributed, in part, by higher education experts to the absence of a coherent national internationalisation strategy.
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