New research by financial services provider Remitly reveals that international students rank Australia highly in terms of options for studying abroad, topping 36 other countries.
The research analyzes international students in every country around the world and their top country destinations for their higher education. Australia is among the international students’ most searched destinations for studying abroad.
Key Takeaways:
- International students have ranked Australia highly in terms of options for studying abroad, based on new research by financial services provider Remitly.
- Australia needs to improve its post-study employment offers to international students.
However, the effects of Australia’s border closures on its AU$10 billion international education industry have doubled because of the absence of the government’s clear plans for facilitating international students’ return.
The Commonwealth Government has not even provided a timeline for when it will have a solid plan for international students amid the relaxation of border restrictions for Australian nationals.
The latest installment of IDP Connect’s New Horizons research into international student attitudes has revealed that four out of five potential international students would consider only in-country and on-campus options.
This has brought bad news to Australia’s international education sector since only 16 percent now see the country as their first choice as a study destination. Meanwhile, nearly 40 percent of the respondents would prefer to study in Canada, and 17 percent in the United States or the United Kingdom.
To make Australia’s international education offering attractive again, the country needs to remind potential international students of the benefits they can gain from going there, including post-study employment offers.
Australia needs to maximize the strong drivers drawn by the research, such as post-study work rights and migration incentives, that make international students want to study in Australian universities.
Apart from these, international students can also help fill the skilled positions available for different Australian sectors. Offering them these rights could help the country fill the pandemic-driven skills shortage across its sectors.
As the Australian border is now opening, providing additional employment incentives for international students will prompt them to study in the country, which is in particular need of skilled workers.
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