VC’s corner
campusreview.com.au
Which models work best to internationalise
regional universities? Can they increase
the Australian value proposition to the
international student market?
WHAT BRINGS INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS TO REGIONAL
AUSTRALIA?
Regional values
The role regional universities can
play in attracting international
students shouldn’t be overlooked.
By Helen Bartlett
I
nternational students are a major
contributor to the rich cultural diversity
of Australia’s higher education
population and Australia has achieved
an enviable record as a desirable student
destination. Tertiary education now
represents Australia’s third largest export
sector and growth in international student
numbers studying in Australia is predicted
to continue in the short to medium
term. International student numbers in
Australia reported by the Department of
Education and Training currently total
626,988, likely overtaking the UK as the
second top destination in 2018.
This is undoubtedly a positive news
story with immeasurable benefits to the
Australian economy, to universities’ financial
sustainability, graduate outcomes and
soft power diplomacy. The key factors
attracting students to Australia include its
high-quality reputation, choice of courses,
work opportunities and local support
available from family or friends.
Metropolitan universities are the
destination for the majority of international
20
students, with just 3 per cent ending up
in regional areas. Concerns have recently
been expressed about the consequences
of large international student numbers
for inner cities, such as congestion,
crowded transport and shortage of rental
properties. International students have
also raised a number of problems that they
experience, including loneliness, difficulty
making friends, cultural differences,
racism and safety.
To address some of these issues, Prime
Minister Scott Morrison recently proposed
to reduce the concentration of international
students in Australia’s inner cities by
channelling more students to regional
universities where there is capacity. While
this proposal has generated contrasting
views from across the sector, the potential
of regional universities was already
recognised in the 2016 publication of
Australia’s National Strategy for International
Education 2025, which recommended that
Australia should “attract more international
students to regional communities by
promoting internationally the excellence
and the advantages of education, training
and research in regional Australia”.
Many regional universities already have
a long history of attracting students from
all over the world. So, what has regional
Australia got to offer international students?
Do regions benefit from their presence?
While the motives of international students
studying at metropolitan campuses have
been well researched, the experience of
those studying at regional campuses is
less understood. A range of factors that
differentiate the regional experience of
international students from that of their
metropolitan peers include the conducive
environment for study, smaller class
sizes, lower cost of living, quality of life,
greater opportunity to be involved in the
community and improve their English,
and safety. For postgraduate international
students, many of whom are accompanied
by their families, the regional option can
prove even more attractive.
A number of regional campuses have
become known for their specialty courses
which are attractive to international students.
Mining engineering has a long history at
Federation University Australia (FedUni) from
the days of its predecessor establishment,
the School of Mines (founded in 1870),
which admitted its first Asian student
(from Malaya) to study mining in 1951.
The sizeable Asian student population at the
School of Mines was supported by either
private means or through Colombo Plan
scholarships. Today, the university attracts
students from as far as Mongolia to study its
Master of Mining degree.
Similarly, the university’s brewing
courses are unique to Ballarat and have
attracted international students, including
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw – now an Indian
billionaire entrepreneur, and chairperson
and managing director of Biocon Limited,
a biotechnology company based in India.
She graduated with a Graduate Diploma in
Brewing in 1974 and went on to become a
Master Brewer.
Other factors that are perhaps less well
appreciated are the unique partnerships
that many regional universities have formed
with local industry and business, providing
valuable and innovative work-integrated
learning. At the FedUni Technology Park
both domestic and international students
can gain work experience in an international
company such as IMB, which has an
established professional practice program