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India is Australia’s second-largest source of international students and Australia is working to establish a long-term relationship with the country, says Sam Freeman, Trade and Investment Commissioner (Bengaluru), Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), Australian Government.
In 2021, the international student population in Australia was 5,00,000, of which 17 per cent were Indian students, said Freeman. The Australian Trade and Investment Commission data shows that nearly 1,29,000 Indians were admitted to Australian educational institutions in 2021.
“India is a high-priority market that extends beyond education. However, the education sector is one of the most prominent sectors as Indians make up the second largest student cohort of international students in Australia. We are spending our time and effort to build a long-term relationship with India,” said Freeman.
Most opted courses
Freeman elaborated on the most opted courses by Indian students: “STEM, Business, and Accounting are the most popular courses in the country. STEM offers better employability. In Australia, STEM jobs are growing twice as fast as in other sectors. So, there are a lot of opportunities here and we see STEM as a key sector of interest for Indian students.”
For instance, Shubham is an Indian studying in Australia. He did a Bachelor of Commerce in Melbourne, Australia, and has recently applied for a Masters in Information Systems at one of the popular universities in Australia. “I see good job opportunities here and expect to land a full-time job as a business analyst after completing my master’s degree,” he added.
India-Australia initiatives
Recently, the Australian Government announced that it will extend post-study work rights to international students. The duration of post-study work rights now ranges from four-six years. However, the degrees which will be considered for work-rights extension are yet to be announced. Another recent initiative taken by Australia is a program to help current Indian students at Australian universities improve their employability skills.
According to Redseer, by 2024, the total number of Indian students studying abroad will be around 1.8 million. While the demand for studying abroad grows, so does the outflow, and student expenditure is expected to reach $75-85 billion by 2024.
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