News

The University of Otago International office has noticed a drop in international students enrolling or arriving on exchange in the past year. However speculation (mainly by the Otago Daily Times) that the drop was caused by the Christchurch earthquakes appears unfounded.

International Pro Vice-Chancellor Sarah Todd admitted that international arrivals were down around 6% this year but said, “it is difficult to quantify the exact number of students that would have otherwise enrolled at the University of Otago.” She also identified other factors that may have had an impact. “The current strength of the New Zealand dollar affects the perceived affordability of NZ as a study destination. Institutions in the USA are themselves subject to heightened budgetary constraints.”

A student exchange advisor told Critic, “as far as we are aware there have been no concerns or enquiries regarding the earthquake.”

When Critic asked current exchange students whether potential earthquakes had been a defining factor in their decision to study at Otago, none seemed overly concerned. Huakun Wan of Dalian, China said, “my relatives told me to be careful, but the Otago international centre reassured us that Dunedin would be fine.”

The ODT speculated last week that vague international media coverage had lumped Dunedin and Christchurch together into one “island of destruction” as perceived by the international community. However, Critic’s comprehensive research suggests this is not the case. Sarah Mulcahey of Maine confirmed that “everyone from home knew Dunedin was a different place to Christchurch.” Sophie Smith, from England, added “my parents thought about it for a little bit but we assumed Dunedin to be safe”.

If anything, the Christchurch earthquakes caused a windfall for the Dunedin exchange program, with many students transferring from Canterbury to Otago last year. Brett Macdonald of Edmonton, Canada told Critic, “I was intending to go to Christchurch this semester but I thought Dunedin would be safer.”

In conclusion there are less international students in Dunedin this year but it was probably not because of the Christchurch earthquake. Now you know.