The Road
QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific
Day 2
Highlights from the second day of the 2025 QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific
Coverage by Eugenia Lim
Taiwanese universities are actively recruiting international students to replenish talent and address low birth rates.
"Academic excellence, accessibility and support are at the core of what we do in advancing social mobility."
The Asian Tigers: the roar of a new Big Four?
Asia's rise as a global study destination is undeniable, with a shift in international student recruitment from traditional Western countries to Asia.
Growth in international student numbers has increased across the region, particularly in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea. Panellists representing the four “Asia Tigers” shared how their universities are building capacity to meet the inflow of international students.
Korea University’s Vice President of International Affairs, Professor Sang Kee Song, said the university has created more English-taught programmes and aims to diversify its student body from various regions such as South America and Eastern Europe through scholarship programs.
He shared that as a nation, South Korea has exceeded its international student recruitment targets by two years, meaning it will likely exceed the government target to attract 300,000 international students annually by 2027. The country’s main motivation for recruitment includes addressing declining demographics and its low birth rate.
Johnny Wu, Head of Global Relations at the International Affairs Office at National Taiwan University shared that like Korea, Taiwan faces deep demographic pressures, including an aging society and declining workforce.
As a result, Taiwanese universities are actively recruiting international students to replenish talent and address low birth rates. Taiwan’s goal is to attract 320,000 international students by 2030.
Wu said corporate partnerships such as its tie up with semiconductor giant TSMC to provide jobs and internships has been a huge draw to prospective international students. Additionally, it has an International Mentorship Programme which not just assigns mentors to students, but also helps secure accommodation and assists with conversations on salary and benefits.
“We just want to provide those international students a very privileged and very exclusive channel for practical experiences… in order to be ready for the global job market,” said Wu.
Meanwhile, Singapore and Hong Kong, both of which have positioned themselves as cosmopolitan cities, have long been an attractive destination given that almost all classes are taught in English.
However, the two island cities also face constraints in capacity planning for housing given the land constraints of both territories.
Professor Lee Pooi See, Vice President for international engagement at Nanyang Technological University says Singapore is focused on attracting global talent and leverages its multiracial and multi-ethnic society to offer a unique perspective for international students.
“Singapore is a global talent hub, we attract people who are able to contribute to nation building, there is also a long-term strategy in integrating into society,” said Professor Lee. She added there are plenty of multinational companies headquartered in Singapore which provide good quality jobs too.
Similarly, Hong Kong's position as a 'city where East meets West' attracts international students.
Professor Geoffrey Qiping Shen, Associate Vice President of Global Partnerships at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University added that high international university rankings and a wide range of study options are key draws for students too.
Professor Shen explained that universities must provide comprehensive support, including accommodation, language assistance, and career services to remain attractive to prospective international students.
“Internationalisation is part of our DNA, we aim to nurture students with a global perspective and each international student on our campus will help to create that atmosphere,” said Professor Shen.
Social mobility and the university mission: advancing the public good
Professor Jack Hu, Chancellor of University of California, Riverside (UCR) shared the approaches and practices the university takes to advance student social mobility.
“Supporting social mobility advances the university’s mission which is to transform the lives of people through research, education and public service,” said Professor Hu.
UCR is a public research university which enrols 27,000 students, and is one of the 10 campuses in the University of California system. About half of its undergraduate students are the first in their families to attend college, and a similar proportion receive federal aid.
Given the profile of its students, UCR created a holistic approach to ensure student success by cultivating a campus culture that prioritizes student success and inclusivity.
This includes providing comprehensive wraparound services for academic, personal, and financial support. UCR also utilises data-driven strategies for early identification of potential dropouts and allows the university to provide personalized advising.
“Academic excellence, accessibility and support are at the core of what we do in advancing social mobility”, said Professor Hu.
He explained that in the United States, there is growing scepticism of the value of higher education. By advancing social mobility, higher education institutions prove their worth.
“When we advance social mobility, we help change the narrative by demonstrating the essential role of universities in extending opportunities for many more people than just the select few,” he said.
“[Social mobility] drives innovation and strengthens the economy. It reduces inequality and uplifts students, their families and communities, which shows the value of higher education and builds trust in our institution,” said Professor Hu.