OverseasstudentsshunUKandUSuniversities

ThemarketshareofinternationalstudentsenjoyedbyBritishandUSuniversitieshasdroppedsharplyasAustralia，JapanandNewZealandbecomeincreasinglypopulardestinations，accordingtoaninternationalcomparisonofeducationsystemspublishedyesterday。

ThelatesteditionofEducationataGlance，anannualauditpublishedbytheOrganisationforEconomicCo－operationandDevelopment，showedthatalthoughforeignstudentscontinuetobeattractedtothetwocountriesbecauseoftheEnglishlanguageteachingandperceivedqualityofeducation，inrelativetermstheirpositionisweakening。

TheParis－basedorganisationreportedthatUSmarketsharefell2percentfrom2002－3，whiletheUKsufferedthefastestdeclineamongOECDmembers，fallingfrom16。2percentin1998to13。5percentin2003。

Themostrecentyearusedbythereportis2003sothepercentagesdidnotincludea21。3percentfallinthenumberofChinesestudentsacceptedforuniversitycoursesinBritainthisyear。BritainisincreasinglyreliantonthehigherfeespaidbystudentsfromoutsidetheEuropeanUniontohelpsustainitsuniversitiesfordomesticstudents。

Theoverallnumberofstudentsstudyingoutsidetheirowncountriesstoodat2。1min2003，an8。3percentannualaverageincreasesince1998。

AccordingtothereporttheinternationalcomplexionofUScampuseshaschangedstrikinglysinceSeptember112001。Thecountry‘suniversitieshaveseendecreasesof10－37percentinstudentsfromtheGulfstates，northernAfricaandsomesouth－eastAsiancountries。

Thereportalsoconcludedthatdespitecontinued，ifuneven，growthinthenumberofgraduateschurnedoutbytherichworld‘suniversities，themonetaryvalueofadegreeshowednosignofhavingbeentarnished。

AndreasSchleicher，headoftheIndicatorsandAnalysisDivisionoftheOECD‘sDirectorateofEducation，saidtherewasnoevidenceofinflationofthelabour－marketvalueofqualificationsandthatgraduatescouldexpecttocontinuetoearnconsiderablymorethanthosewithoutadegree。

Assessingtheperformanceoftheworld‘sschools，MrSchleichersaidAsiawassoaringwhileEuroperemainedlevelandSouthAmericahadslippedintorelativedecline。