Australian education exports hit a quarterly high of A $9.4 billion in the third quarter, according to the latest trade data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
But because of political tensions between China and Australia, Australian authorities have restricted visa applications for Chinese students to study in Australia, and the number of Chinese students in Australia`s largest market of source students is slowing.
About one hundred and seventy thousand Chinese students go to college in Australia. Visa restrictions on Chinese students will almost certainly affect Australian universities`A $32.2 billion in education exports to the economy.
In the 12 months to September, China`s education exports (overseas economic exports) also reached a record A $34 billion, up 17 percent from the same period last year.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics measures education exports by adding up the cost of courses spent on international students` accommodation, transportation, recreation, utilities and other expenses in Australia.
Total education-related personal tourism exports remained unchanged between A $30.263 billion and A $30.3 billion in 2017. This is up 17 percent or A $4.47 billion from 2016, up from 13 percent in 2015 or A $3.05 billion. The number of Chinese students rose 18 percent in 2017 and 16 percent between January and March 2018.
While ABS`s quarterly data did not break down education exports from countries of origin, 30 percent of Australian students in the seven months to July were from China, according to other data.
Universities are highly dependent on the Chinese student market, with 39 percent of international students in higher education coming from China, and as of July this year, the total number of foreign students was 10.8 percent more than last year.
Vocational education and training (veterinarians) led by 18.7 percent, according to government data, followed by higher education (17.7 percent) and ELICOS (17.7 percent).
New and Victorian states account for 77 percent of the total, while Tasmania, which grew 41.4 percent this year compared with last year, is the fastest-growing student population. The number of students at the University of Tasmania grew by 32%, especially in China.
Last month, the University of Queensland (University)
President of Queensland), (Department of Foreign Affairs and, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
Peter, the former head of Trade? Vagis (Peter Varghese) has warned universities about uncertainty in the Chinese student market.
While Chinese demand for Australian education is likely to remain strong, political factors in Australia-China relations could artificially curb student numbers, he said.
"this means understanding the risks and developing strategies to deal with them, including diversifying the sources of international students and not including income from international students in the operating budget."
