Lincoln Uni expects $1.6m deficit

A drop in the number of international students has contributed to a projected $1.6 million deficit for Lincoln University this year.

Lincoln and Massey are the only two universities in the country predicting a loss this year.

Massey is predicting a $1.3m deficit after a $1.52m deficit in 2006.

Lincoln University spokeswoman Elizabeth Owens said the official figure of $1.63m had not changed.

She was not aware of where the suggestion of a $4m deficit in a recent Education Review article had come from.

Lincoln has the highest proportion of international students of all universities, so was hit hard by a nationwide drop in international enrolments this year.

Owens said Lincoln was concerned about the drop in student numbers, but student enrolments were only part of the university's income and there would be a boost in research revenue this year.

Reasons for the decline in the number of international students included the exchange rate and development of tertiary education in countries where students came from.

Owens said the university was diversifying its student recruitment effort and developing scholarships.

Auckland University expects the highest surplus for 2007 of $27m, while Canterbury may have a surplus of about $7.5m.

Meanwhile, Lincoln University is celebrating a new study showing the university's research had the greatest average impact on the scientific world of all New Zealand universities.

The Ministry of Education research, Quality v Impact, looks at the number of citations of research conducted at each university. Lincoln had the highest number of citations between 2001 and 2005.