EUROPE: Huge increase in English-medium courses

The number of courses taught in English at European universities has tripled in the last five years, with the Netherlands leading the field. In a study of 27 European countries where English is not the first language, the Brussels-based think tank the Academic Cooperation Association identified around 2,400 programmes, mainly at masters level. Leading subjects are engineering studies, followed by business and management

Although these courses are a more common feature of European higher education than they were in 2002, they are not a mass phenomenon, says a report, of the study published just before Easter. English-medium provision is unevenly spread across Europe where the Alps constitute a watershed. Few are found in southern Europe whereas the Netherlands leads with 774 programmes, Germany offers 415, Finland, 235, and Sweden, 123.

Attracting foreign students was the main motivation to offer these courses, next was "to make domestic students fit for the global labour market". More than two-thirds of students enrolled in English-taught courses are foreign – 36% from other European countries, 34% from Asia and 12% from Africa.

Universities awarding advanced degrees and providing more subjects are most likely to offer English-medium education: 56% of PhD-awarding institutions offer it compared with 27% of those whose most advanced degree is at bachelor level. Size of institutions also counts: 62% of establishments with more than 10,000 students do so compared with 26% of very small ones with up to 500 students.

However, the relationship between a large enrolment of international students and the existence of these programmes is less clear-cut. The percentage rises from 35% with an international enrolment of below 1% to 62% with an enrolment of between 10 and 20% of international students – only to fall again to 48% with an enrolment of more than 20%.

The majority of programmes (51%) were set up in the last four years and more than a quarter were created in the past two years. Fees vary greatly: the annual average European fee for domestic students is €3,400 ($5,367) and €6,300 for non-EU nationals. Danish programmes were the most expensive at €11,000. Finland, Sweden and Norway are still almost fee-free.

Bernd Wächter, director of the ACA, a speaker at the London internationalisation in higher education conference (see UWN 21, 30 March 2008), said he was impressed by the success of the UK's universities in attracting overseas students. Wächter acknowledged that English was the lingua franca but he also pointed to the findings of his report and warned:

"Continental Europe might catch up and that might translate into a competitive advantage."