Why are Indian students choosing to study in Australia?

Did you know that Australia has the third highest number of international students in the world?

Male and female students sitting chatting and working on college campus Source: Getty Images

Indian subcontinent is the biggest source countries for international students in Australia.

Higher education was Australia’s third largest export after iron ore and coal in 2015-16.

This accounted for a record $21.8 billion over the past year.

Minister for Education in the Federal Government, Simon Birmingham says that the growth in student numbers showed the government’s commitment to the international higher-education industry.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham Source: AAP

“The benefits of international education flow through to sectors such as retail and tourism, supporting over 130,000 full time jobs across our major cities, and in key regional areas where international education has established a strong foothold,” Birmingham added.

Usman W. Chohan, a Canberra-based policy expert, says that “higher education remains the biggest education area for Indian students.”

Usman W. Chohan Source: Usman W. Chohan

The latest report by Australian Federal government presents a survey of 65,000 international students.

This reports focus is international student experience in Australia.

Usman adds that there are five major reasons for Indian students to choose Australia. These include:

1. Limited opportunities in home country;
   
   
2. Former Indian students sharing a positive experience;
   
   
3. A huge latent demand among Indians looking to go to universities abroad;
   
   
4. Australian government’s streamlining of the student visa process; and
   
   
5. More opportunities for permanent residency to recent graduates in some fields.
   
   

Usman believes that “the focus of universities to entice students from Asia (especially China) and the Indian subcontinent (especially India) has helped numbers grow.”

International students at Melbourne University in Melbourne Source: AAP

The report found 89 per cent international students were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall experience in Australia.

Usman says this “overall satisfaction is questionable as many students from the Indian subcontinent are often not vocal about their actual feelings.”

Also, many students aren't aware of their rights in the renting market and workplace.

“This has made them vulnerable to exploitation,” adds Usman.

To know in detail about the reasons behind the rising number of international students in Australia, listen to Amit Sarwal’s conversation with Canberra-based policy expert Usman W. Chohan.