Researchers Say Fewer Indian Students Want to Study in Australia

The number of Indian students studying at Australian universities has declined during 2021, according to researchers.

In their research, Anna Boucher and Elisa Choy have found that some of the reasons for the decline in the number of students from India pursuing higher education in Australia are: travel restrictions, the underpayment in the labor market as well as the quality of education in the country.    

Over the years, India has been one of the main sources for international students in Australia, only behind China. The Australian Strategy for International Education 2021-2030 report points out that Indian students account for 21 percent of international student entries.

Data by Australia’s Department of Education indicated that 2,500 Indian students began studies in Australia last year, an 83 percent decrease compared to 2019 over the same period.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, during 2019/20, Indian students contributed 6.6 Australian billion dollars to Australia’s economy.

Differently, education platforms such as Collegify, ForeignAdmits, Yocket, and Leverage Edu have revealed that the number of Indian students aiming to study abroad has doubled from 2021.

These platforms have highlighted that pay packages and roles offered by popular tech companies at campus recruitment drives have encouraged more applicants to submit applications.

Another study, ‘Education Overseas–An Evolving Journey’ commissioned by Western Union to NielsenIQ has found that specialized courses are more important than the university reputation for 52 percent of Indian students aiming to study abroad.

The study also revealed that qualifying exams are an obstacle for 64 percent of students; therefore, the latter have considered countries or institutions that do not require entrance exams or English proficiency.

According to findings, in addition to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, more Indian students are considering the following study destinations:

• Germany
• Italy
• Ireland
• Turkey
• Russia
• China
• Spain

Ravi Singh, the managing director of Global Reach, an organization focusing on the recruitment of South Asian students to universities across the world, said that the organization had seen a decrease in the number of students from several countries, including India.

“Even though we are recognized in the market as an Australian education specialist, the interest even amongst our pipeline students seem to be changing for the destinations that are open: UK, Canada, and the US,” Singh added. 

Strict border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are the main reason why Australia has seen a significant drop in the number of international students overall; therefore, many international students are now considering the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada as study destinations.