The University of Auckland has collaborated with Britishcompany NCUK to establish InternationalStudy Centres across several countries, with the first centre set tolaunch in China in 2021. This is part of a new government initiative that would see the country’suniversities recognising pre-university courses offered by the globalconsortium of leading universities in the UK. It aims to smoothen internationalstudents’ transition to studying in New Zealand onceborders reopen. The process goes something like this: complete foundationprogramme in the home country then enrols in a bachelor’s degree programme in NewZealand.
As part of the collaboration, several existing NCUK Centreswill become the new University of Auckland International Study Centres. The firstUniversity of Auckland International Study Centre to launch in 2021 will belocated at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). The centre will be basedat the BFSU International Business School (IBS), one of BFSU’s newest andlargest schools with over 1,500 students currently. The first cohort ofstudents is expected to start in March 2021. Students will complete afoundation programme that is tailored to a curriculum developed by the Universityof Auckland staff. Throughout the year, students will benefit from directlinkages with the university as they prepare to make the move to studying oncampus in Auckland.
“We are very pleased to work with our prestigious partner,the University of Auckland, to launch a new opportunity for Chinese studentsaspiring to study in New Zealand,” IBS Assistant Dean and Director of theInternational Office Yanping Zhang said. The initiative is part of a widerrange of strategies to better serve prospective international students who maynot be able to enter New Zealand right now, according to University of AucklandDirector International Brett Berquist said. “The university already has anumber of successful partnerships with overseas institutions at undergraduateand postgraduate level, so it seemed natural to expand this to offer newpathways for international students wishing to join us,” Berquistsaid.
Education New Zealand and New Zealand’s eight universities recentlyannounced apartnership with NCUK which allows students from over 30 countries toprogress from any of NCUK’s global network of 81 recognised study centres, toany university in New Zealand. Universities in New Zealand are supporting thispartnership and committing over NZ$300,000 per year in dedicated scholarships.
“NCUK has a long history of providing high-qualitypre-university and university equivalence qualifications to students in theirhome country. This collaboration with the University of Auckland is an idealway for students who want to join the university, but for whatever reason arenot able to begin their studies in New Zealand, to start their academicjourney,” said NCUK’s CEO Professor John Brewer said.
New Zealand has long been a popular study abroad destinationfor international students. A survey of education agents from 63 countriesby Navitas Insights showed the New Zealand government’shandling of the pandemic has made it the most attractive study destination inthe world today, ahead of Australia, Canada, Singapore, the UK and the US.