Number of Chinese student enrolments in Australia 2012-2022, by education sector

There were more than 141 thousand Chinese student enrolments in Australia as of June 2022, with approximately 116.7 thousand enrolled in the higher education sector alone. This high figure is largely in part to many institutions readily accepting international students, as well as the use of English as the main language in most educational courses. The limited amount of university spots in China due to its large population also forces Chinese students to look overseas for education opportunities.

Demographic of international students in Australia

  Australia has the largest proportion of international students in higher education, with almost a third of all higher education students in the country being international students. Furthermore, Chinese students make up the biggest share of these international students, with almost twice as many students as second-placed India.

Education as a source of income

  While the cost of education is regulated for local students, universities in Australia can set their own prices for internationals. This creates a market where institutions are permitted to set prices to match the high demand for education. The export income from international education activity in Australia reached tens of billions of dollars over the past decade. Despite the high cost of entry, there is still plenty of demand with some universities such as the University of New South Wales having more than 40 percent of students coming from overseas.