Overseas student numbers down at NZ tertiary schools

Overseas tertiary students in New Zealand -- 30 percent of them from China -- are paying more for their education while their overall numbers decline, the New Zealand government revealed Friday.

Overall international student numbers were down 3 percent, driven by a 10-percent fall in private training establishments, in the first four months this year, according to a report on the country's international education sector.

However, tertiary education institutions saw international fees rise by 25 million NZ dollars (19.57 million U.S. dollars) to hit 404 million NZ dollars in the year to the end of June, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce said in a statement.

The report added that the number of Chinese students enrolled in New Zealand colleges had climbed by 5 percent to more than 14, 000, accounting for 30 percent of international enrolments in the year to date.

"More generally we are seeing a move towards higher levels of study and longer periods of study in New Zealand, and that is positive for our brand," Joyce said in a statement.

"Higher levels of study are experiencing significant growth with masters level enrolments up by 22 percent, and PhDs up by 6 percent in the university sector," he said.

"Officials are continuing to review the policy settings for international education to ensure New Zealand retains its competitiveness across different sectors."