If policy tweaks don’t get in the way, foreign student numbers are expected to continue in an upward spiral given that the Australian dollar is expected to remain low and the Indian government is now aggressively promoting the education of its masses.

Writing in The Australian today, Trade Minister Andrew Robb has stressed that India is set to become the main source of overseas student enrolments for Australia. He says the market potential of India, where the government has committed to train half a billion of its citizens by 2022, is enormous.

“We can expect from India a repeat of what we have seen from China. India is our top vocational education and training market and the demand over the next decade will be phenomenal,” noted Mr Robb.

Overall, Federal government figures show that student enrolments rose 10 per cent last year, reversing a dive that cost universities and colleges more than one-third of their overseas students.

English language colleges had their best year in 2013-14, with numbers swelling 27 per cent. And while the growth has stabilised to a more manageable 9 per cent, many students are proceeding to further study in vocational or higher education — suggesting big surges ahead for these sectors.

Australian international education is still well short of the heady days of 2009, when overseas student numbers peaked at more than 630,000. But enrolments have returned to 2007 levels, totalling about 455,000 last year. And the figures reflect only people on student visas. Language students also visit Australia on tourist and working holiday visas.

The new figures follow last month’s revelation that international education revenue had already overtaken 2009 earnings.

The industry reaped $16.6 billion last year, up from its previous $16.1bn peak,