Report shines a spotlight on university’s international enrolments process

The University of Tasmania will conduct a review of international admissions following revelations about English language tests being waived to encourage enrolments.

The University of Tasmania will conduct an external review as well as “a broad, deep health check” of the university’s international admissions processes.

THE University of Tasmania will conduct a review of international admissions following revelations about English language tests being waived to encourage enrolments.

The ABC’s Four Corners program named UTAS as being among a number of universities which had shown a willingness to lower English language standards.

The report cited an email from a UTAS staff member, which referred to “waiving” English requirements to encourage international students to accept places at the university.

The university responded before the program went to air by announcing a review of international admissions.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said the external review would address the concerns raised by Four Corners about international students being “cash cows”, as well as undertake “a broad, deep health check” of the university’s international admissions processes.

“We want to be a university that is focused on high-quality education for qualified international students,” Professor Black said.

“We also have made it very clear within our new institutional strategy that we are taking a right-sized approach and that the march for constant growth is not part of our future.

“I am concerned, having seen the claims from Four Corners, that the changes we have been introducing to align to those two things have not had enough impact soon enough.

“We care intrinsically about our international students. They are not cash cows as they have been described by the program; they are people who come to our university to learn.”

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Professor Black said the university would adhere strictly to its English language requirements from now on.

“From today, I have made it very clear we will no longer be using alternative paths, including accepting Medium of Instruction letters, for future students not already in the admissions process,” he said.

Professor Black said independent expert Professor Hilary Winchester had been asked to conduct a broad-ranging review of international admissions.

A UTAS strategic direction document released late last year showed the university had to save $30 million a year to be sustainable, with diversifying and growing international student markets part of the strategy.

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About 6000 of more than 30,000 UTAS students are from overseas.