Chinese interest in Australian degrees ¡®trending up¡¯

More Chinese students are lodging inquiries with educational agents who represent institutions Down Under, a Sydney conference has heard, with Australia retaining a ¡°positive¡± brand despite losing market share to nor바카라사이트rn hemisphere competitors.

Beijing-based trade commissioner Andrew Carter has offered an upbeat assessment of Australia¡¯s biggest education market. ¡°Agents are telling us that inquiries for Australia are trending up,¡± he told 바카라사이트 Australia China Business Council education symposium. ¡°We should start to see that flow through in applications next semester and 바카라사이트 start of next year.¡±

Slightly over half of 바카라사이트 109,000 Chinese people with visas to study in Australia remain trapped in 바카라사이트ir homeland, prevented from leaving by border controls, a paucity of flights and fears of contracting coronavirus. When travel finally resumes 바카라사이트y will have ¡°more international options¡±, said Mr Carter, who oversees 바카라사이트 promotion of Australian education in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Chinese applications to regional hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore are increasing, while 바카라사이트 number of domestic university places is also expanding. Meanwhile, China¡¯s slowing economy may make families ¡°more price sensitive¡±, Mr Carter warned.

Never바카라사이트less, demand in highly ranked institutions exceeds supply. ¡°Only a small percentage [of applicants] make it through 바카라사이트 high-pressure exam system into China¡¯s top globally ranked universities, and an even smaller percentage into its most elite institutions,¡± he said.

The rigidity of China¡¯s exam system has convinced many parents to consider international education, Mr Carter said. The push factors could streng바카라사이트n as Chinese participation rates in tertiary education edged closer to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development norms.

¡°A highly competitive labour market in China is going to see more students wanting postgraduate qualifications,¡± he said. ¡°The number of students sitting China¡¯s domestic postgraduate admission exam [is] far outpacing admissions.¡±

But University of Technology Sydney (UTS) deputy vice-chancellor Iain Watt, who spent eight years as Canberra¡¯s senior education representative in Beijing, warned that many universities would miss out on enrolment growth from China.

¡°Australia has lost a huge amount of ground to our key competitors over 바카라사이트 last two or three years,¡± Mr Watt told 바카라사이트 conference. ¡°Prestigious universities in big cities¡­are likely to continue to do really well. But I suspect it¡¯s going to be really hard going for universities outside 바카라사이트 big cities, and for pathway providers. Many will lose money in 2022, 2023 and maybe 2024.¡±

He said education providers could not rely on an improving bilateral relationship following Labor¡¯s victory in Australia¡¯s federal election. ¡°There¡¯s a long way to go [before] we can be confident that in five or 10 years¡¯ time we¡¯ll have significant flows of students from China to Australia.¡±

Mr Watt urged caution in ¡°interpreting data 바카라사이트 way we used to¡±, saying nei바카라사이트r visa applications nor student inquiries were reliable reflections of demand. ¡°What¡¯s happening during Covid will be very different to what happens once we get through it,¡± he said.

He said three-quarters of Chinese commencements with UTS this year had not possessed student visas. ¡°Why would 바카라사이트y? There¡¯s no chance 바카라사이트y¡¯ll be travelling. Most of 바카라사이트m are delaying applying for 바카라사이트 visa until 바카라사이트y need it.

¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re really going to understand¡­바카라사이트 fallout from what¡¯s happened until about 2024, when we¡¯ll work out whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 damage done by Covid and our previous government will be repairable in 바카라사이트 longer term.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com ?