Record rise in international student numbers announced

A record number of international students studied in Australia in 2017, as a result of the largest increase recorded in a single year, according to new figures.

Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said in a statement on 7 March that the 2017 international education data showed there were more than 624,000 full-fee paying international students in Australia in 2017 on a student visa, an increase of 13% (or almost 71,000 students) across all sectors on 2016.

The increase in higher education enrolments was higher, at 15%, more than three times the average annual growth rate over the previous decade. Of 799,371 international enrolments – a higher figure than the inward bound total because students can enrol in more than one course in a year – 44%, or more than 350,000, were enrolments in higher education courses.

In addition, there was a 17% growth in international students undertaking vocational educational training, 11% in schools and 3% in English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS), and 14% in non-award courses.

“We’re seeing strong growth from a range of countries,” Minister Birmingham said. “International students are voting with their feet, making Australia the third most popular study destination in the world for tertiary students and the second most popular study destination for tertiary students from China and India.

Birmingham said that since 2014, across all sectors, Australia had seen a 54% growth in Chinese student numbers, 62% growth from Brazil, 73% from Colombia, 79% from Sri Lanka, 48% from India and 113% from Nepal.

Among the top five source countries across all sectors, the highest in 2017 was seen in enrolment by students from Nepal (up 56%), followed by Brazil (24.4%), China (18.1%), Malaysia (16.3%), and India (12.6%).

But there was also significant growth in enrolments from Sri Lanka (up 32%), Colombia (26.5%) and Spain (19.9%). At the other end of the scale, there was a sharp drop in student numbers from Saudi Arabia (-18.8%).

“Our reputation abroad is in no small part because of how students see Australia as a safe and friendly place to live and study, with high-quality and welcoming campuses,” Birmingham said.

He cited a 2016 survey of more than 65,000 international students studying in Australia, which found that 93% rated safety as a key reason for choosing the country as a study destination; and he noted that last year the Hobsons International Student Survey ranked Australia as the safest and most welcoming country for international students.

In addition, he said in 2017 the government strengthened support and protections for international students through revisions of the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students, addressing areas such as student welfare, support services and performance of education agents.

Exploited by ’crooked employers’

However, the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations or CAPA, responding to the minister’s statement, has raised concerns about the conditions in which these students support their studies, alleging that they are routinely exploited by “predatory, cash-in hand employers” who deny them workplace rights.

In November a report, Wage Theft in Australia, by the Migrant Worker Justice Initiative, the University of New South Wales and the University of Technology Sydney, found that one in four international students were paid AU$12 (US$9) per hour or less in their workplaces. This equates to less than half of the minimum wage for the roles and industries in which these students work.

In a statement on 7 March, CAPA called on Minister Birmingham to ensure international students are protected from workplace exploitation and to address the “dire employment and immigration prospects of international students” caused by tightened visa regulations and lack of interest among many Australian companies in hiring them.

CAPA National President Natasha Abrahams told University World News: “International students coming to Australia are often unaware of their rights in the workplace and as a result are exploited and underpaid in alarming numbers. It is crucial that the government cracks down on crooked employers rather than continuing to admit record numbers of international students with little regard for their welfare.”

The Australian Bureau of Statistics recently reported that Australia’s international education export sector was worth AU$30.9 billion (US$24 billion) in 2017.

The top five source countries for international students, which account for 53% of them, are China (30%), India (11%), Nepal (5%), Malaysia (4%) and Brazil (4%).

Higher education enrolments rose from 305,486 in 2016 to 350,472 in 2017. The majority of 2017 enrolments were by students from China, with 38.2% of the total, and India with 15.5%.

The figures for commencements (new enrolments) show the fastest growth is taking part in one segment of the postgraduate sector. In postgraduate research, commencements increased by 9.2% on 2016 figures, but other postgraduate commencements grew by 22%. Bachelor degree commencements grew at a third of that rate, (7.8%) over the same period.