Foreign enrolment in Singapore private schools picks up as borders reopen

MORE foreign students are expected to enrol in Singapore private education institutions (PEIs) as borders reopen – but this is likely to happen on a wider scale in 2023, as decisions about studies commencing in 2022 may have been made before pandemic curbs eased, said industry watchers.

Some growth has already happened. There were about 65,400 international students in Singapore at end-April 2022, up roughly 10 per cent from 59,100 in April 2021, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a combined reply to queries from The Business Times.

These figures include student pass holders in all school types, including schools under MOE, universities, polytechnics, and PEIs. From 2021 to 2022, the share of student pass holders in PEIs stayed stable at around 40 per cent across all levels, from primary to tertiary.

But the full pick-up will be gradual, said EY Asia-Pacific private equity leader Luke Pais: “While we will likely witness increased international student numbers in the second half of 2022, the true impact could be felt over the next 12 to 15 months, stretching well into 2023.”

Pais highlighted that it usually takes 12 to 18 months of planning before students travel overseas for higher education.

Some application cycles may also have been too early for reopening to be a factor. Insead’s global director of admissions, financial aid and scholarship Virginie Fougea expects Singapore’s border reopening to only benefit the business school’s enrolment starting from the January 2023 intake of Master of Business Administration (MBA) students.

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“The selection cycle for our MBA class starting in August 2022 was completed under the tight measures given by the authorities and is now over,” she noted.

Still, even if delayed, an improvement in foreign enrolment is certainly expected by industry watchers and players, after Singapore removed quarantine and testing requirements for all fully vaccinated travellers from Apr 1.

“Indicators in 2022 such as student visa applications in Singapore have increased from 2020 levels, and PEIs are feeling more confident about international students returning to Singapore,” said Tristan Hockley, education sector leader of PwC South East Asia Consulting.

Linley Lord, pro-vice chancellor and president of Australian-based Curtin University, said its Singapore campus has seen rising enrolment of both domestic and international students since 2021.

“We have seen a higher demand from countries where travel entry into Singapore is permitted as international students are pivoting to destinations with open borders and effective safe management Covid controls,” she said.

As for students and parents in Singapore, border restrictions set by other countries and growing concerns over safety may have encouraged them to consider local education options rather than going abroad, she added. 

Hockley expects international student numbers to rise “reasonably quickly” due to pent up demand from key markets such as China, India and Southeast Asia.

SIM Global Education, for instance, expects a 5 to 10 per cent growth in international student enrolment in 2022, potentially from countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, China and India, said a spokesperson.

“This projected increase can possibly be due to Singapore being seen as managing the pandemic well, the development of Covid-19 from a pandemic to a more manageable endemic, as well as the gradual reopening of both Singapore’s borders and international ones,” he added.

James Cook University’s Singapore campus has seen continued interest, with a particular increase in applicants from China and Europe, a spokesperson said.

The Australian-based university’s campus in Singapore saw a 40 per cent rise in commencing students to 1,795 in 2021, up from 1,282 in 2020, with further growth expected in 2022, he added. Around 79 per cent of students there are international students.

“James Cook University is confident that as border restrictions ease further, the university can expect to welcome even more international students, and build on this momentum as the global community emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic,” the spokesperson said. 

Higher education aside, both campuses of Singapore K-12 international school UWC Southeast Asia – which also falls under the category of PEIs – have remained fully subscribed during the past 2 pandemic years. 

Kate Woodford, senior manager of marketing and business development at UWC, expects the school to continue opening at full capacity each year moving forward.

Even as more international students enter Singapore to study, more Singaporean students are expected to seek higher education overseas. This is as “top global higher education destinations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have reopened their borders”, said Pais. 

PwC’s Hockley expects continued demand as the “fundamental drivers” of international education remain, but noted that geopolitical tensions and post-study immigration entitlements may affect Singaporeans’ choice of what countries to study in.

Amid the pandemic, Singaporean enrolment in British higher education institutions fell to 6,580 in 2020, from 6,820 in 2019, according to the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency.

But the British Council expects demand to recover as Covid-19 risks decline, regional director and country director Lucy Watkins told BT: “In the longer term, all signs point towards continued demand from our region, including from Singaporean students, for pursuing studies in the UK.” 

Even late last year – with UK university terms starting in September – demand was already picking up. According to the British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore­­ and the British Council, 2,182 student visas were issued to Singaporeans to study in the UK in 2021, up from 1,482 in 2020.

The 2022 figure for visas is not yet available, but for the January 2022 deadline, undergraduate study applications by Singapore students were up 7 per cent compared to the year before. 

Australia, however, has not seen a pick-up in Singaporean students yet. From January to March 2022, 4,911 Singaporean students enrolled in higher education institutions in Australia, down from 5,281 in the year-ago period, according to data from the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment website.

As for the US, figures for 2021 and 2022 are not yet available, but statistics from Open Doors show that the number of Singaporeans studying there fell 21 per cent in 2020 to 3,558, down from 4,504 in 2019.