Number of Chinese student enrolments in Australia 2012-2022, by education sector
Demographic of international students in Australia
Australia has the largest proportion of international students in higher education, with almost a third of all higher education students in the country being international students. Furthermore, Chinese students make up the biggest share of these international students, with almost twice as many students as second-placed India.
Education as a source of income
While the cost of education is regulated for local students, universities in Australia can set their own prices for internationals. This creates a market where institutions are permitted to set prices to match the high demand for education. In 2019, the export income from international education activity in Australia was over 37 billion Australian dollars. Despite this high cost of entry, there is still plenty of demand with some universities such as the University of New South Wales having more than 40 percent of students coming from overseas.