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Students are looking to the countries that are open … where they can gain the whole international student experience .
‘ Student , interrupted ’ administration announcing a “ renewed commitment to international education ” in July 2021 . Similarly , the UK aims to increase “ the value of international education by 75 per cent by 2030 ”.
Report shows keeping Australians safe gave international education competitors the edge .
By Wade Zaglas
A new report from the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University shows international students are flocking to Canada , the US and the UK in record numbers , while Australia ’ s international student population has dropped by more than 50 per cent from pre-pandemic levels .
And while Australia and New Zealand implemented strict international border closures since COVID-19 hit in early 2020 to help keep Australians safe , the attendant loss of international student revenue is forecast to cost Australia ’ s fourth largest export sector nearly A $ 20 billion ( US $ 14 billion ) a year .
Australia was the world ’ s second largest international student destination market before COVID-19 , resulting in 320,000 fewer international students living in the country in November 2021 compared to November 2019 .
The institute ’ s report , titled ‘ Student , Interrupted : International education and the pandemic ’, released a day before Australia ’ s borders reopened , focused on five major destinations for international students – Australia , the UK , US , Canada and New Zealand – and the ways in which the pandemic has affected ( either positively or negatively ) each country ’ s market .
KEY POINTS One of the key findings is the extent to which some international markets have rebounded to record levels while others have gone backwards . In the UK , for instance , visa applications for new international students are “ at record levels ” and close to 40 per cent higher than before the pandemic .
Similarly , Canada and the US are experiencing something of a renaissance in their international student market : in the September quarter of this year both countries recorded “ their highest levels of new student visas for at least five years ”. In stark contrast , new student visa applications for Australia and New Zealand have dropped substantially from prepandemic levels in the 12 months to September 2021 , plummeting 70 and 90 per cent respectively . And while all five countries witnessed a plunge in new international students in early to mid-2020 , the UK , US and Canada have experienced a huge rebound in their markets , while Australia and New Zealand ’ s have continued to decline . The report also found that China is no longer the largest source country for new international students , after being overtaken by India . The recent trend of Chinese students remaining in their country to study was also evident , with new student visas from Chinese students still 25 per cent below pre-pandemic levels .
And while geo-political tensions between Australia and China have continued to escalate over the period of the pandemic , the evidence suggests that the decline in the number of Chinese international students wanting to study in Australia can be attributed more to “ administrative obstacles and travel restrictions ”.
“ There has been a reduction in the number of Indian international students going to Australia ,” the report says , “ down by 62 per cent in the twelve months to September 2021 compared to 2019 ”.
“ In contrast , the number of new Indian international students to the UK has more than doubled , up by 174 per cent .”
Both the US and the UK have developed ambitious policies , with the Biden
SHORT AND LONG-TERM FORECASTS
While the report highlights significant renewal in some international student markets and continued decline in others , it also warns that “ significant uncertainty ” remains . Such uncertainty is tied to the emergence of new variants of COVID-19 ( eg Omicron ) and the unpredictable effects this might have on students commencing their studies in 2022 .
The report also notes there is “ pentup demand following border closures ”. However , while most up-to-date data indicates new student visa approvals are above pre-pandemic levels in countries such as the UK and the US , uncertainty remains as to whether they are at “ levels sufficient to compensate fully for reductions experienced in 2020 ”.
Similarly , the institute ’ s report concludes that the long-term impact of the pandemic on the international education market is uncertain . The authors note that “ disruptions to the international market have widespread impacts ” as international students are a critical part of how countries invest in their broader tertiary education systems .
One of the three authors of the report , Dr Peter Hurley , said it was highly probable that many students who planned to study in Australia had chosen another destination . This was particularly true for Indian students who decided to study in the UK .
“ Part of the reason international students pay high fees is to experience a different culture and , for many , to immerse themselves in a country with a different language ,” Hurley said .
“ This data shows that international students are looking to the countries that are open , and where they can travel and gain the whole international student experience .” ■
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