Analysis Of The Australian International Education

Another issue with the Australian international education industry is the exchange rates within Australia (Marks, McMillan and Ainley, 2004). The strength of the Australian dollar is moderately high; therefore the government often cites this issue as a key factor influencing the decline in international student enrolments. The Australian dollar is comparatively very strong when compared against the weaker US and UK currencies for example, hence making Australia an expensive option for international education, and less competitive within the market (West, 2011).

Research conducted by HSBC (Hsbc.com.au, 2014) comparing the average annual cost of living with university fees within Australia against other countries, also concluded the cost of studying in Australia has been kept relatively high in comparison to other markets as a result of the Australian economy and its currency (see table 1 below).

This demonstrates that while Australia is seen to keep experiencing economic growth it is at the same time placing a strain on the price competitiveness of its export sectors- including education, as a result of the increased value of the Australian dollar.

3. Openness to cross border education

Openness to cross border education refers to a particular country’s dedication towards the promotion of internationalization of its higher education system. This is regarded as a positive issue in reference to the Australian international education industry, merely based on the fact that Australia is perceived as a leader in cross border education benchmarked against other countries (Martin and Peim, 2011). This means Australia is seen to have an ambitious internationalization strategy in terms of its visa and migration policies for students...

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...ering the Australian international education industry. Policies such as the ‘Multicultural Education Policy’ produced by the NSW state department of education have helped draw greater attention towards Australia as being a choice for international education. The policy states that international education is a “process based on acceptance of multiculturalism as a fundamental social value” (Banks 2009 pg. 114).

The issue of multiculturalism has been a large contributor towards the growth of the Australian educational industry. In 2011, 21.3 per cent of the total student population within Australian universities was made up of international students (Winter 2011). This not only makes Australia more competitive within the international education market, but also plays a significant part in welcoming students of other cultures into Australia.

5. Student visa regime