Australia’s education exports rebound as students return
Returning international students sparked a rebound in education exports in 2022, ending the sharp decline caused by the pandemic.
Returning international students sparked a rebound in education exports in 2022, ending the sharp decline caused by the pandemic.
According to the latest figures, released on Tuesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, education exports rose 16 per cent last year to $25.5bn, but are still well below the $40.1bn recorded in 2019.
International education was one of the sectors of the economy worst hit by Covid because students were unable to come to Australia.
Although many continued studying online from their home countries, the students studying from overseas were not paying for accommodation, travel and other living expenses in Australia.
Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said the rebound in international education was a strong economic winner for Australia.
“Covid-19 halved the value of education as an export, but we are well on our way back to reaching, and hopefully surpassing, the $40bn mark we recorded in 2019,” she said.
The ABS figures also showed that international students studying from overseas continued to make a major contribution to the Australian economy in 2022 through the tuition fees they paid to Australian education institutions. These students paid $3.5bn in course fees in 2022, down from $4.9bn in 2021 when students were unable to return to Australia.
Education export revenue is expected to continued to rise strongly in the way of Beijing’s announcement a month ago requiring Chinese international students to immediately stop studying from home and return to their overseas campuses.
Australia’s higher education regulator is requiring international students to be back on campus in Australia by July 1 this year.
The federal government gave another boost to international education a week ago when it added two years to the length of the post study work visa which international students in higher education courses can apply for when they graduate – provided they have completed a course in a skill shortage area.
This week federal Education Minister Jason Clare is in India, accompanied by 11 Australian university vice-chancellors, to sign a mutual recognition of qualifications agreement.
“This will be the broadest and most favourable recognition agreement India has signed with another country and will enhance student mobility between both countries,” Mr Clare said.
There was an opportunity for Australian educators to do more to collaborate with India, he said
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