AUSTRALIA

Number of Indian university applicants rebounds

The number of students from India applying to study at Australian universities has more than doubled over the past year, largely because, according to industry representatives, they want a quality education not just a pathway to permanently migrate to Australia, writes Stephanie March for Australia Network News.

The number of higher education visa applications lodged by students in India to study in Australia rose from 1,987 to 4,148 in the year to September 2013. Student visa applications from India fell sharply in 2009 after the closure of bogus colleges, tightening of visa rules for vocational courses and a number of violent attacks on Indians in Melbourne.

In the years since, the Australian government streamlined the visa process for foreign students wanting to study in the higher education sector. Australian universities are also offering more scholarships to people from overseas.
Full report on the Australia Network News site