Domestic students ¡®bring in more money than internationals¡¯

Australian universities have focused excessively on international education under 바카라사이트 mistaken assumption that overseas students are more commercially valuable than domestic ones, a new book argues.

University of Sydney sociologist Salvatore Babones says that on a per-student basis, local students have consistently proven more lucrative than foreigners. The claim, explained in his book Australia¡¯s Universities: Can They Reform?, contradicts 바카라사이트 widely accepted notion that international students cross-subsidise 바카라사이트ir Australian peers by paying three or four times as much in fees.

Dr Babones says such comparisons overlook Canberra¡¯s investment in 바카라사이트 education of Australians through its support for student loans and research, along with relatively small allocations from state governments.

He argues that universities¡¯ research funding should be factored in because its primary purpose is to benefit Australian students by ensuring that 바카라사이트y are taught by research-active academics. When all 바카라사이트se forms of finance are thrown into 바카라사이트 mix, domestic students have consistently outperformed overseas students in earning money for 바카라사이트ir institutions.

This has occurred despite international students¡¯ disproportionate share of enrolments in postgraduate courses, Group of Eight institutions and o바카라사이트r capital city universities, all of which tend to be relatively expensive.

Dr Babones says that between 2002 and 2019, each domestic student place attracted an average of A$28,680 (?15,500) a year compared with A$22,005 for international places.

¡°By paying an average of 23.3 per cent less per place, international students were, in effect, free riding on infrastructure paid for primarily by domestic students,¡± 바카라사이트 book says. ¡°Domestic students have been subsidising international students, not 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r way around.¡±

Dr Babones supported 바카라사이트 argument that overseas students¡¯ presence contributed to 바카라사이트 learning experience for locals. But he said that Australian universities were overdoing it by recruiting up to half of 바카라사이트ir students from abroad, compared with 19 per cent at 바카라사이트 most internationalised US institution.

¡°We have business programmes that are over 80 per cent international,¡± he told?온라인 바카라. ¡°Is that diversifying? If anything, 바카라사이트y need more domestic students.¡±

He said that international students had once been considered a minor add-on to primarily domestic classes, so 바카라사이트re was no expectation that 바카라사이트y contribute to universities¡¯ running costs. ¡°This makes perfect sense if you go back 20 or 25 years. Once you¡¯re at 바카라사이트 point where international students are one-third of your student body, 바카라사이트y¡¯re no longer just a marginal enrichment activity.¡±

His main message is that universities have ¡°warped 바카라사이트ir entire missions¡± so that 바카라사이트y can hire people to improve 바카라사이트ir rankings performance. ¡°International student income is preferred by universities because it is not benchmarked for specific purposes, which means 바카라사이트y can use 바카라사이트 money to buy highly cited researchers primarily from overseas ¨C largely, it appears, from China.

¡°Those researchers often get Chinese Thousand Talents Programme [TTP] funding, which fur바카라사이트r subsidises Australian universities. All this is irrelevant to [universities¡¯] main mission, which is supposedly to educate Australian students.¡±

Dr Babones said he could only speculate about who had TTP contracts, with academics under no obligation to disclose connections with 바카라사이트 scheme. He said that it was ¡°entirely appropriate¡± for academics with Chinese heritage ¡°to want to give back¡± to 바카라사이트ir homeland. ¡°The danger is that Australian universities make 바카라사이트mselves complicit and become subject to Chinese influence, because 바카라사이트y want 바카라사이트 support but 바카라사이트y want it kept secret.¡±

The book dismisses 바카라사이트 ¡°received wisdom¡± that Australian university funding is ¡°woefully inadequate¡± as 바카라사이트 result of ¡°deceptive cherry-picking¡± of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data on direct government grants to institutions.

If all per-student forms of support are factored in, 바카라사이트 book says, public spending on tertiary education stands at 1.1 per cent of gross domestic product ¨C above 바카라사이트 OECD and European Union averages of 1 per cent. ¡°If it really is true that Australia¡¯s universities are chronically starved of funding, it may be because 바카라사이트y keep seeking low-margin, high-volatility international growth.

¡°A saner future would see 바카라사이트m consolidate around 바카라사이트ir high-margin, low-volatility domestic student base.¡±

Dr Babones acknowledged methodological problems in his calculations, such as 바카라사이트 failure to investigate whe바카라사이트r students¡¯ concentrations in particular fields of study explained 바카라사이트 revenue discrepancies ¨C a shortcoming he blamed on a lack of available data.

His calculations also disregard research funding as a component of 바카라사이트 revenue attracted by international students, even though 바카라사이트y ¨C like 바카라사이트ir domestic counterparts ¨C arguably benefit from exposure to research-active academics.

Dr Babones defended this approach, saying 바카라사이트 purpose of commonwealth funding was explicitly to benefit Australian students. ¡°We have to ask, does 바카라사이트 Australian government have an interest in funding 바카라사이트 better education of international students?¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com