international education
campusreview.com.au
Gabriele Suder
How can we do better?
Perspectives on International Students
in Australia Seminar: Part 2
By Loren Smith
CHINA, INDIA AND BEYOND
Did you know that 25 years ago, Australia hosted more
international students from Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and
the UK than it does today?
That could be set to change with the advent of several new
free trade agreements (FTAs). Gabriele Suder is an expert on the
impact of FTAs on higher education. Presenting on this topic, the
professorial fellow at Melbourne Business School and the Faculty
of Business and Economics of the University of Melbourne noted a
common misconception: “FTAs are not only about goods but also
about services, and are not only about tariffs and their reduction
but also the facilitation of trade and investment.”
To this end, she suggested a reason why a diverse international
student population, facilitated by FTAs, is welcome. “We learn
from each other,” she said.
This diversity has the potential to boom. Currently, Australia
is partner to 13 FTAs, with a further 21, including with the EU, in
the pipeline.
But what’s the correlation between FTAs and their attraction to
students from Chile, the Philippines or England? Their possible
consequences are manifold. They can ease mobility by loosening
visa restrictions; allow for repatriation of earnings, mutual degree
recognition, and intellectual property protection; streamline
university application processes; and more.
FTAs aren’t just about “sending some cheese or wine over
to another country”, she reminded the audience. “It’s all about
students, it’s research, it’s our world actually.”
However, she informed universities that it’s up to them to be
aware of burgeoning FTAs, and advocate for conditions that suit
them. “We have a responsibility to make our voice heard.”
8
PUSH AND PULL FACTORS
An audience member’s previous concern about course costs
was addressed by the final speaker, Aleksandr Voninski. The
former executive director of UNSW International – and now an
independent international education consultant – noted that at the
University of Sydney Law School, for example, international student
fees have tripled since 2000, when he was a student there. Then,
they were $15,000 per year. Currently, they’re $45,000.
Yet, cost is only the third most important factor in international
students’ decisions about their study destinations. As revealed
by a recent QS survey, degree and institution/country
respectively prevailed.
So, what makes international students choose Australia? As Ruby
Biscuit implied, a country or institution’s reputation is key. More
specifically, the opinions held by a prospective student’s peer
group are central to their decision in this respect.
Voninski claimed that institutions that harness this as a
recruitment tool, at all stages of the conversion life cycle, are more
successful. For example, UNSW has Chinese student ambassadors
on campus. In Ireland and the UK, universities use Campus
Connect – online, themed chat groups on subjects like housing
and jobs, or even niche ones like those for Malaysian students.
“Not only does this afford universities greater control and
transparency, it is more personalised, so when international
students arrive, they feel more part of a community,” he said.
Once they arrive, getting this right is also key. Voninski said that
since most international students start mid-year, universities should
consider replicating O-Week then. Also, the presence of university
management at faculty welcomes can have a “positive impact on
how international students feel they’re valued as individuals”.
Another major pressure point for universities is providing
adequate career services for international students. “They have
flat-lined or even declined, despite surging numbers,” Voninski said.
He submitted that universities need to work smarter, nor harder, to
deliver these, for example, by collaborating with each other, and
using online, early intervention programs like Successful Graduate.