Short-term English language student enrolments up

According to the English Language Providers survey, there were 41,798 international students enrolled in English language schools in the year ended March 2010, Statistics New Zealand said today.

This is an increase of 4,808 (13.0 percent) from the previous year. "On average, more students enrolled in shorter courses during this year than in the previous year," balance of payments manager John Morris said.

Average length of study dropped to 11 weeks in the March 2010 year, from 12 weeks in the March 2009 year.

Despite the increase in student numbers, spending on tuition and related fees fell $2.2 million to $140 million in the March 2010 year. Tuition expenditure per student dropped 12.9 percent in the March 2010 year, compared with an increase of 25.6 percent in the March 2009 year.

Students from South Korea accounted for the largest increase (up 12.6 percent) in student numbers, although they spent $5 million less on tuition and related fees in the March 2010 year compared with the previous year. The average length of study for South Korean students dropped from 13 weeks in the March 2009 year to 11 weeks in the March 2010 year.

Although the number of Chinese students enrolled in English language schools rose 11.7 percent, their spending on tuition remained stable during the March 2010 year. They studied for shorter periods in total than in the March 2009 year, but still continued to be the largest overall contributor to expenditure on tuition and related fees.

The estimated total value of expenditure by all international students studying in New Zealand was $1,367 million for the year ended March 2010, down $122 million from the previous year. Total expenditure includes all expenditure by international students at all educational institutions in New Zealand.