English language numbers up but spending down

More overseas students are coming to New Zealand to learn English but they are staying here for shorter periods and spending less on study, figures released today show.

The numbers of international students enrolled in New Zealand English language schools rose by 4808 (13%) in the year ended March 31 to 41,798, according to Statistics New Zealand.

Despite the increase in student numbers, spending on tuition and related fees fell $2.2 million to $140 million in the same period and the average length of study dropped to 11 weeks from 12 weeks the year before.

The drop in spending on fees was largely due to students enrolling in shorter courses compared to the previous year, a Statistics New Zealand spokesman said.

Students from Saudi Arabia and Korea contributed most to the drop in spending with South Korean spending dropping by $5 million and Saudi Arabian spending falling by $1.9 million.

Despite a drop in spending the largest increase in enrolments come from South Korea with 12.6% more. South Koreans were however spending less time in New Zealand, staying an average 11 weeks compared to 13 weeks in the previous year.

Students from China made up the largest proportion of spending at New Zealand English language schools and the number of Chinese students enrolled rose 11.7% during the March 2010 year, with Chinese spending on tuition remaining stable.

The estimated total value of expenditure by all international students studying in New Zealand was $1.367 billion for the year ended March 2010, down $122 million from the previous year.