Rising Overseas Student Roll ‘

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32360, 28 July 1970, Page 1

Rising Overseas Student Roll ‘

It was a “little disturbing” that of a total enrolment of 391 intermediate engineering students at the University of Canterbury 202 were from overseas, the Vice - Chancellor (Professor N. C. Phillips) told a meeting of the council of the University of Canterbury yesterday. There would only be about 30 places available in the first professional engineering classes available for 1971 from the total enrolment of 391, he said. “As I understand it, then of these 202 there will be a large number for whom places will not be available,” Mr D. W. Bain asked. Professor Phillips: I am afraid so. Professor Phillips explained that the council had already taken steps to limit the overseas .student intake and the decision to this was announced in May. In fairness to the univers-

ity authorities, he said, guarantees of accommodation had ceased when the number reached 180. “We have no control over this. We are just faced with a problem made for us by someone else," he said. Mr C. H. Perkins pointed out that when overseas students who wefe not in the in- 1 tennediate engineering stage came to the university the ' decision to restrict numbers had not been made. “How are we going to involve a large number of these students who will not be able to go the distance?" he said. Overseas students at the University of Canterbury represented more than 28 per cent of all overseas students catered for by New Zealand universities, Professor Phillips said. “We are doing our share in this matter.”

Giving the total student enrolment as 6767 at the beginning of this month, Professor Phillips said that of this

number 643 were from overseas. This represented an increase of 248 on last year’s

figure. Internal student enrolments at the university for this year are: 2790 (arts). 1965 (science), 361 (law). 596 (commerce), 830 (engineer--ig), 61 (music), 143 (fine •<), 21 (forestry).