Editor's Blog

The trend in Student numbers from China and India suggests that it could return to pre-2010 levels.

It looks the dust has finally settled over the uncertainties in immigration policy and negative press in overseas newspapers of visa prospects and life in Australia for international students. No doubt the drop in the Australian dollar and its predicted further slide has helped once again raise interest in an Australian education.

Education remains a key export earner for Australia with an estimated export revenue of $15 billion a year. International business consultancy Deloitte has reported that Global demand for educational services is about to soar and is expected to swell by about 7% a year between now and 2020.

“Teaching foreign students is Australia’s fourth-biggest export earner, generating $15 billion a year in income and employing about 100,000 Australians. Growth in this industry has increased expertise and infrastructure, creating economies of scale over and above those usually available to a nation of 23 million people,” reports Deloite.

Recent DIBP data shows that 74,019 foreigners applied to study in Australia during the three months to September 2013 - a 7 per cent jump year-on-year, and the highest number of quarterly applications in four years.

Chinese students fuelled the increase, with a 20 per cent rise in the number applying to study in universities and TAFE colleges.

Interest from Indian students more than doubled, with 4148 applications in the three months to September 2013, compared to just 1987 applications a year earlier

Australia now has 346,965 international students - a quarter of them from China and nearly 10 per cent from India.