Ricardo Braginski
07/28/2021 7:00
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 07/28/2021 7:00 AM
Everything was going with a favorable wind before the pandemic.
The City was receiving more and more foreign university students, who were attracted by
the level of the universities
, the
low costs of studying here
(universities are free -a degree level-, for example), as well as by
the life and culture of Buenos Aires
.
In 2019,
85,861 young people
had arrived
with the aim of studying
.
And the Buenos Aires government was enthusiastic about the money left by the sector:
26,401.4 million pesos
, between accommodation expenses and family visits, according to a UBA report.
It was
more than 0.5%
of the city's
gross product
.
But the pandemic arrived, trips were cut off, borders were closed.
Ezeiza still has low barriers for foreigners.
What was all this flourishing market?
Buenos Aires will receive good news this Wednesday.
Despite the pandemic and the stoppage of international travel, the City is still considered
the best city to study in the region
, according to the new edition of the QS ranking of cities, which evaluates 115 metropolises in the world and will be presented in London.
In that classification, Buenos Aires was ranked as
the best city to study in Latin America and Ibero-America
, above Madrid and Barcelona.
And not only that.
From 2019 to today (in 2020 this study was not done due to the pandemic),
the City climbed nine locations and was ranked 22 globally
.
For the first time, it is
among the top 25 cities in the world
.
The results are at www.topuniversities.com.
“Buenos Aires has better universities than any other Latin American city: it ranks 13th in that metric.
It is also one of the
most accessible
cities
in economic terms
, only behind Monterrey and São Paulo.
Most importantly, students who have studied in Buenos Aires
claim to have had a more pleasant experience
than those
who have studied in
any other city in the region: Buenos Aires ranks 34th in this regard, while no other Latin American city is ranked above 76th place, ”
the study authors
told
Clarín
.
Before the pandemic.
The Buenos Aires government had brought together some 5000 foreign students in a special day for them.
London leads the ranking
for the third time in a row.
They are followed in the top 10 by Munich, Seoul, Tokyo, Berlin, Melbourne, Zurich, Sydney, Paris and Montreal.
Germany and Australia are the only countries that have two cities in the top ten.
The United States classified 15 metropolises, but all of them
fall year after year in the indicator of desirability.
In 2019, most of the young people who came to Buenos Aires to study did so in
short programs
.
Others participated in "exchanges" for a semester or a year.
Then came the two most classic formats: those who do an undergraduate degree, or a master's or postgraduate degree.
Samia Angulo Rincón, Colombian who studied an MBA at the UBA.
Constance Niscovolos
With the pandemic, the number of foreign students who
opt for the online offer
expanded
. "Argentine universities have had an
increase in enrollment of approximately 30%,
which includes international students, as a result of the facilities that distance education implies,"
Fernando Straface, secretary general of government and international relations
, tells
Clarín.
from the city.
From that office they have been working for years to add more international students.
In 2018, they signed an agreement with 22 universities, including the UBA, within the framework of the “Study Buenos Aires” program, which provides facilities for young people who arrive.
Above all, for the first days, as a "pre-arrival kit" that includes a free line for the cell phone, a SUBE card and a special rate in hostels for the first nights.
The agreement is still in force today, and this year three universities joined: the National of José C. Paz, the National of Hurlingham and the 21st Century University.
Clarín
asked Straface if he could think about opening the entrance to the country to
university students already vaccinated
.
“It is a faculty of the national government.
Beyond that, for a few months the segment of international students has been reactivated, with more and more searches for destinations and interest.
That has made many countries and cities resume competition to attract them, "said the official.
Sabina María and Elías, Brazilian medical students.
The photo is from 2019. Mauricio Nievas.
He explained that the official strategy includes a “digital positioning campaign” that has already begun to be implemented in Madrid, Barcelona, Medellín, Lima, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Montevideo, Santiago de Chile, Asunción, which are
the main cities of origin
of the young people who come to Buenos Aires.
In its quest to get more international students, the City is
now betting on China
. “We know that there are
more than 20,000 Spanish students in China
, and the number is growing every year. We want more and more Chinese students to choose us. We are helping our universities to increase links with more Chinese universities, which is the first step in increasing the number of Chinese students, ”explained Straface.
“Since we began working with China last year, we have already held almost 100 bilateral meetings between Chinese universities and the City, which are advancing in at least 10 bilateral agreements.
We are also working with universities to generate a differential offer for China that encourages the choice of Buenos Aires over other destinations such as Spain or Mexico, with short culture courses, Spanish seminars specially designed for Chinese students ”, he added.
The QS ranking is carried out by the British consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds.
They classify
cities with at least 250,000 inhabitants
and with
at least two universities located in QS rankings
of universities, where the UBA is among the first hundred in the world.
They take into account various parameters such as the academic level of the universities in the city;
the number and diversity of students;
as well as how desirable and accessible it is from an economic point of view.
They do so on the basis of objective data from universities and also with perception surveys of more than 95 thousand students.
The City now goes for the "digital nomads"
The young people of the world already see the City as a good place to study.
With that inside, now the City sets out to conquer another young segment: the
“digital nomads”:
professionals who, thanks to teleworking, can settle in any destination.
The City estimates that
some 22,000
may come
a year
and request
a special visa that enables them to reside in the country for up to a year
.
“The attraction of digital nomads has been part of our strategy since the middle of last year.
It is a segment that spends more than a traditional visitor, and that we identified
was going to grow significantly after the pandemic
.
We put together a benefits program resulting from more than 40 agreements with hotels, coworking spaces, and other private sector service providers ”, explains Fernando Straface, secretary of international relations for the City.
“The approval of the visa depends on the national government, we have had good meetings and we hope that progress can be made in the short term. We have everything to attract an emerging and highly relevant segment for what they can generate in terms of perception and income for our country. You have to add the greatest amount of incentives to be able to compete in a market as demanding as that one ”, he added.