With India and Australia recently raising the level of their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic level, the country Down Under, which is home to three of the top 20 and nine of the top 100 world ranking universities, is eyeing a greater share of the pie of Indian students studying abroad.
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Australia is already one of the top four destinations for Indian students pursuing higher studies abroad, apparently for better career prospects, and eventually getting an opportunity to seek permanent residency there. As per the latest QS World University Rankings 2024, released in June 2023, three of the top 20 and nine of the top 100 world ranking universities are Australian. Also, 95% of all Australian universities are included in the global rankings.
Dr Monica Kennedy, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Austrade, interacting with the media in Chandigarh on Tuesday regarding the upcoming Study Australia Roadshow in the city.
Photo courtesy: Ajay Jalandhari
At any given point in recent years around 1,00,000 Indian students have been enrolled in Australian universities, especially in the Melbourne region, out of the total 5,00,000 foreign students the country attracts. But the Australian government has recently made its offer packages for foreign students coming to study in Australian universities more lucrative to attract larger numbers, especially from India.
Rolling out an outreach programme in this direction, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) on Tuesday announced that a Study Australia Roadshow will be organised at Taj Chandigarh on September 4, a first of such roadshows planned in six cities pan India, the other cities up next being New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai.
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Interacting with the media in Chandigarh, Dr Monica Kennedy, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Austrade, based out of the Australian Consulate General in Mumbai, said the event will bring under one roof 26 world ranking Australian universities, government representatives of Australian states and territories, departments of education and home affairs.
It will provide a great opportunity to interested students, parents, education leaders and even school counselors to get their queries regarding all aspects of studying in Australia addressed first hand, she said, adding that during their interactions they will also be able to better understand the emerging trends in the education sector of Australia and get valuable insights into choice of universities and destinations Down Under.
The visitors will be able to cover key aspects that students need to consider before deciding on studying in Australia – from fees, popular intakes and highly sought after courses to life as a student in Australia, Dr Kennedy shared.
The Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Austrade, emphasized that though Australia is a large country, with just over 25 million population and only 43 universities, it has one of the best education systems in the world, tightly regulated to safeguard the interests and rights of foreign students.
Not only are three Australian universities among the top 20 and nine among the top 100 universities in global rankings, besides 95% of all Australian universities being world ranked, the variety of courses in a gamut of academic streams and spheres of skill training offered in these universities is extremely diversified and geared to produce industry ready work force, she stated.
Plus, the country offers a safe environment with a very low crime rate, which gives confidence to foreign students to study in Australia, she noted.
Under tweaked student visa rules, Indian students studying in Australian universities can now work in the country for up to eight years without requiring visa sponsorship.
All international students in Australia holding student visa are allowed to work a maximum 48 hours per fortnight while studying, so that they are able to keep a balance between their academics/training and work. However, when academics/training is not in session, there are no restrictions on their work hours.
Addressing the issue of increasing cost of living, which adversely impacts foreign students too, Dr Kennedy said through this is a worldwide problem, Australia is reasonably placed in this regard with inflation hovering below 7% and unemployment pegged at 3.6%.
The Australian universities in the top 20 QS World University Rankings 2024 are The University of Melbourne (14th), The University of New South Wales, Sydney & The University of Sydney (joint 19th).
The other universities in the top 100 are Australian National University, Canberra (34th), Monash University, Melbourne (42nd), The University of Queensland, Brisbane (43rd), The University of Western Australia, Perth (72nd), The University of Adelaide (89th) and University of Technology, Sydney (90th).
What: Study Australia Roadshow
When: September 4, 2023
Where: Taj Chandigarh
Timing: 1:30 p.m. onwards
For more information:
www.studyaustralia.gov.au/india
https://www.facebook.com/StudyAUOfficial/
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