This snapshot looks at recent data on international higher education students from Australia and the UK. According to UNESCO, the UK is the second most popular study destination for international tertiary students after the USA, while Australia is the third most popular. The data used in the snapshot has been created by each country in relation to its latest full academic year (2018-19 for the UK and 2019 for Australia). This analysis compares Australian higher education enrolments (only) with UK higher education student data.
In 2018-19, 29 per cent of the UK's international student population
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This snapshot looks at recent data on international higher education students from Australia and the UK. According to UNESCO, the UK is the second most popular study destination for international tertiary students after the USA, while Australia is the third most popular. The data used in the snapshot has been created by each country in relation to its latest full academic year (2018-19 for the UK and 2019 for Australia). This analysis compares Australian higher education enrolments (only) with UK higher education student data.
In 2018-19, 29 per cent of the UK's international student population came from the European Union (EU). Nonetheless, China was the UK's largest single student source country, representing 35 per cent of international students coming from outside the EU and 25 per cent of all international students in the UK. Between, 2017-18 and 2018-19, the UK's total international student numbers grew by six per cent, comprising three per cent growth in EU and seven per cent growth in non-EU students. There was particularly strong growth in students from India and China (13 per cent and 35 per cent respectively).
Australia had solid overall growth in international higher education enrolments between 2018 and 2019 (11 per cent), which incorporated 8 per cent growth from China and 27 per cent growth from India. For other common student source countries like Malaysia and Hong Kong, the UK and Australia both saw moderate declines. The pending nature of Brexit had no apparent impact on incoming EU students to the UK, where EU students grew by three per cent in 2018-19 following a similar degree of growth (4 per cent) in 2017-18.
The UK's 2018-19 international student data confirms a return to growth following a long hiatus following the introduction of migration reforms in 2012, including changes to post-study work opportunities. Commentators are attributing the UK's return to growth to its recent announcement that post-study work visas are being reintroduced and will be available to international students graduating in the 2020-21 academic year and thereafter. Given this return to growth is likely to be sustained, prior predictions by commentators that Australia would overtake the UK to become the world's second most popular study destination now seem unlikely to eventuate.
Excerpt from publication.
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