Kaplan to open second campus in Orchard Road area by end-2009

Source : Channel NewsAsia - 20 Nov 2008

Kaplan will set up a second city campus in the Orchard Road area by the end of 2009.

The school said the 20,000 square-foot campus will cater to some 5,000 students. It expects 40 per cent of the intake to be international students.

Kaplan opened eight campuses in mainland China in 2008.

The new campus in Singapore will cater to students who are expected to complete their final year of study here.

In a recent study conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Education involving 1,400 students, nearly 26 per cent of students in Kuala Lumpur preferred to study in Singapore, while 17.5 per cent picked Hong Kong.

This is good news for Singapore as it is beginning to attract more foreign schools.

Just recently, Curtin University of Technology announced it will open a new campus in Singapore in December.

But will the economic gloom cause fewer students to take up subjects like finance?

Mark Coggins, president, Asia Pacific, Kaplan, said: “Inevitably, the demand for training will deteriorate. However, looking at the long term in a particular sector, there will be a pick-up when people recognise there’s a need for improvement in risk management and regulatory environment. And perhaps by the end of 2009 and (into) 2010, we’ll get some improvement.”

Recently Singapore officials revealed that one out of two Singaporeans who apply to study at the three government universities get at least one offer. However, that still leaves out 50 per cent of students who have to rely on private education.

Kaplan also has plans to further expand its presence in Vietnam and China.