Westen Australia’s International Education Sector – Performance and Prospects

Centre PersonnelAlan Duncan, John Phillimore, Daniel Kiely, Kenneth Leong, Richard Seymour
Research PartnersThe John Curtin Institute of Public Policy
Project FundingWestern Australia Private Education and Training Association
Project StatusComplete (February 2016 to December 2016)

Project Summary

Despite being an early innovator in international education, WA’s market share of international students onshore has steadily fallen over the past decade, from 9.9 per cent of national enrolments in 2002 to 7.8 per cent in 2015. Other States and Territories are not standing still, and there is a need for WA to consider how to reverse the trend and re-build its share of the international student market.

With a focus on WA, this report (commissioned by WAPETIA and Funding Partners) examines international education enrolment trends to Australia for the period 2002 to 2015. Enrolments by provider type (public/private) are analysed, as are enrolments by main subject studied. Key source markets for international education students are also reported. The economic contribution of international education to the Australian and WA economies are reported.

Scenario analysis projects future international student enrolments, as well as the projected economic contributions under these scenarios. Finally, modelling analysis assesses the primary factors effecting international students’ choice of destination in Australia.