Australian Social Trends
Australian Social Trends December 2011
International students www.abs.gov.au/socialtrends AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS
CATALOGUE NO. 4102.0
ABS catalogue no. 4102.0 ISSN 1321–1781
© Commonwealth of Australia 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence.
In all cases the ABS must be acknowledged as the source when reproducing or quoting any part of an ABS publication or other product. Please see the Australian Bureau of Statistics website copyright statement for further details.
INQUIRIES
For further information about these and related statistics contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070, or refer to contacts listed at the back of this publication.
Produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
International Students
International students make a significant contribution to Australian society, diversifying and enriching communities, and strengthening Australia’s global networks. The decision to study in Australia also offers many benefits to international students, allowing them to gain a high quality, internationally recognised education, as well as the opportunity to experience life in Australia. The international education sector is important not only to Australian society, but also the country’s economy. Education services as a group are Australia’s largest service export industry, with onshore activity contributing $16.3 billion to the Australian economy in 2010–11.1 Furthermore, many educational institutions rely on the income from full-fee paying international students to assist in the provision of quality education to all students, both international and domestic. In 2009, over one in five (22%) tertiary students studying in Australia were international students.2 While the size of the international student population is considerable both in tertiary and other sectors, Australia’s international education sector is undergoing a period of change. This
International students www.abs.gov.au/socialtrends AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS
CATALOGUE NO. 4102.0
ABS catalogue no. 4102.0 ISSN 1321–1781
© Commonwealth of Australia 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence.
In all cases the ABS must be acknowledged as the source when reproducing or quoting any part of an ABS publication or other product. Please see the Australian Bureau of Statistics website copyright statement for further details.
INQUIRIES
For further information about these and related statistics contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070, or refer to contacts listed at the back of this publication.
Produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
International Students
International students make a significant contribution to Australian society, diversifying and enriching communities, and strengthening Australia’s global networks. The decision to study in Australia also offers many benefits to international students, allowing them to gain a high quality, internationally recognised education, as well as the opportunity to experience life in Australia. The international education sector is important not only to Australian society, but also the country’s economy. Education services as a group are Australia’s largest service export industry, with onshore activity contributing $16.3 billion to the Australian economy in 2010–11.1 Furthermore, many educational institutions rely on the income from full-fee paying international students to assist in the provision of quality education to all students, both international and domestic. In 2009, over one in five (22%) tertiary students studying in Australia were international students.2 While the size of the international student population is considerable both in tertiary and other sectors, Australia’s international education sector is undergoing a period of change. This