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NEWS
AVERAGE ANNUAL TUITION FEE FOR INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
• US: $ 43,000
• Canada: $ 39,700
• UK: $ 38,600
• Australia: $ 34,000
Foreign student numbers grow, again
Competitive tuition fees help keep numbers high; South-east Asia continues to be the largest contributor to the cohort.
Federal Education Department data revealed that international student numbers have grown 11 per cent since last year.
Steve Nerlich, director of the Education Department’ s international research and analysis unit, said there are 567,756 international students studying in Australia, of which 45 per cent are enrolled in universities. These numbers take into account only those on student visas. Nerlich said there are many overseas students studying in Australia on various other visas.
In 2015, international student numbers grew by 10 per cent from 2014.
Australia is a popular choice for international students because of educational quality and perceived safety. Nerlich also said Australia has cheapened in terms of study costs. He pointed to figures multinational bank HSBC released that show Australia’ s
$ 65.8 million gift for scholarships
Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation’ s final pledge in Australia will go towards fellowships designed to expand opportunity, develop leaders.
The Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation – established by American duty-free shopping mogul Chuck Feeney – has made one of its last donations in Australia. It has pledged US $ 50 million($ 65.8 million) to establish a university fellowship dedicated to tackling social inequity.
Chuck Feeney with Christopher Oechsli. Photo: Atlantic Philanthropies.
The federal government has also pledged $ 40 million to the program, called The Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity, over its planned 20-year lifespan. The University of Melbourne, Queensland University of Technology and New Zealand’ s University of Auckland will educate the fellows and provide additional financial contributions. Partner organisations include the Business Council of Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, and Indigenous leadership organisation Jawun.
Starting next year, up to 25 scholarships of $ 100,000 will be awarded annually for average annual tuition fee for international students is $ 34,000. This makes Australia cheaper than the UK, US and Canada.
Where international students come from to study in Australia also hasn’ t changed over the past 10 years. In both 2006 and 2016, 52 per cent of all international students came from China, India, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. The proportion of these students that are Chinese has increased, though. In 2006, 23 per cent of all international students were Chinese; today, that number is at 26 per cent.
The prominence of Chinese students in international study isn’ t limited to Australia. Nerlich pointed out that almost one-third of international students studying in the US come from China as well.
“ It’ s an international phenomenon,” Nerlich explained.“ These [ China and others ] are just big countries.” ■
two decades. A total of 500 scholarships may be awarded. They will be granted to mid-career leaders in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
Professor Tom Calma, co-chair of Reconciliation Australia and University of Canberra chancellor, will chair the board that oversees the program and participants. The program will initially be open to Australia and New Zealand and will later expand to include Pacific Island nations.
University of Melbourne vice-chancellor professor Glyn Davis said a focus of the Atlantic Fellows would be to produce Indigenous leaders. The Atlantic Philanthropies will shut down in 2020
“ In social change, you need leadership and you need that to come from within Indigenous communities, and to do that, you have to provide the same sort of leadership opportunities that others have got and benefited from,” Davis said.“ That’ s what we’ re trying to set up here, a leadership program the equivalent of any in the world that takes as its focus building skills and character in the Indigenous Australians and Indigenous people from around our region.”
Christopher Oechsli, chief executive of The Atlantic Philanthropies, said,“ This initiative represents one of the foundation’ s final big bets”. ■
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