Joining the Dots Research Briefing

Volume 1 Number 8 December 2011

International Introduction This is the final briefing for the 2011 Joining the Dots series. It is necessarily concise and is designed students to offer an entrée into the 2012 series. It does this by presenting a snapshot of statistics relating to international students in higher education. Rather than snapshot simply focusing on the ebbs and flows of international students in the Australian higher education sector, A global picture the briefing provides a global picture, contextualising the broader market forces which impact Australian institutions. The briefing assumes that readers already have some knowledge of the international student market in Australia and does not therefore present an introduction to the topic. Those who would like further details should instead refer to the plethora of academic resources already available (Marginson, 2011; Ziguras & McBurnie, 2011, particularly in relation to the Asia- Pacific region) and consult the Australian Government’s IN THIS ISSUE international education arm, Australian Education International [AEI], at http://www.aei.gov.au. P3 The wide distribution of This briefing draws exclusively on data from the international students UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), which provides Almost every way the data on international student a rich data resource, one that is freely available and yet mobility is cut … can be overlooked in discussions of Australian higher education policy (see http://www.uis.unesco.org/ P5 International student distribution Education/ for access to this data). The international in context student snapshot is presented in order to highlight The UIS data for international students in the value of this data and to show the relative global higher education provides an interesting tool for presence of Australia in the international student contextualising the in-flow and out-flow of students … market. The most recently available and internationally comparable data from the UIS are for 2009, and this is P6 International student movement presented here. in our region The figures here are not analysed in depth, but rather Analysis of Australia’s international student cohort … presented to subscribers as a means of exploring the global flows of international students. The analysis highlights the relative place which Australia plays as

Australian Council for Educational Research 2 International students snapshot

a provider of international education, particularly to students from the Asia-Pacific region. It also provides an indication of the increasing competition for international students which Australia is facing, as places traditionally considered ‘source countries’ develop their capacity as destinations for international study. This briefing examines: • international student numbers in Australia relative to other nations; • UNESCO net flow indicators from a comparative and global perspective; and • detailed information on the origins of international students coming to Australia and to our neighbours. The main findings shown here are: UNESCO data confirm that Australia is a key power in the world of international student provision. There are more than 100 nations hosting international students around the globe – while not at the same volume of the largest few providers, many countries host substantial numbers of international students. Australia’s net flow of international students is one of the highest in the world, even when calculated in the context of the total size of the higher education sector. Australia’s international student market is heavily reliant on Asia and the Pacific – accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the cohort in Australia. Students from Asia travel in substantial numbers to a large variety of different countries for higher education, meaning that the scope of competition for students in this region now and in the future is significant.

Joining the Dots • Research Briefing • Volume 1 Number 8 December 2011 International students snapshot 3

The wide distribution of international students

Almost every way the data on international student In total, the UNESCO data records 109 countries mobility is cut, Australia emerges as one of the across the globe that were hosting international world powers for international education in higher students pursuing tertiary education qualifications in education provision. Figure 1 presents the raw data 2009. Figure 2 provides a world map of the spread on international student numbers, incorporating of international students. It illustrates the remarkable the individual national figures for 109 countries. number and extent of countries across the world which As the graph shows, Australia is the third largest are equipped to enrol international students. The provider globally. number of students hosted is indicated by the colours in the legend. Countries shaded grey are either not host countries or not recorded in the UNESCO data.

700,000

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0 Number of international students studying in country Fiji UK Italy USA Chile Japan Spain Brazil Cuba Egypt China Russia Serbia Jordan France Poland Turkey Ireland Kuwait Yemen Finland Algeria Austria Cyprus Belarus Greece Bahrain Hungry Canada Bulgaria Ukraine Belgium Slovakia Sweden Norway Malaysia Portugal Thailand Australia Lebanon Romania Morocco Germany Denmark Singapore Kyrgyzstan Azerbaijan Switerland Kazakhstan South Africa Netherlands Saudi Arabia New Zealand Czech Republic Czech Other countries Republic of Korea Republic China, Macao SAR China, United Arab Emirates

Host Country Hong Kong SAR China,

Figure 1: Number of international students by host country, tertiary education provision (ISCED 5 and 6), 2009 (countries hosting more than 5,000 students listed) Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS)

Figure 2: Countries which host international students by number of international students, tertiary education provision (ISCED 5 and 6), 2009 Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) and http://www.gunn.co.nz/map/

Note: countries in grey either do not host international students in tertiary education or do not have data available.

Joining the Dots • Research Briefing • Volume 1 Number 8 December 2011 4 International students snapshot

Table 1 provides further detail on the size of the international student cohorts hosted by particular countries. It shows that 13 countries host at least 50,000 international students, with a further 32 hosting between 10,000 and 50,000. Of the 109 countries recorded in the data only a marginal number of these (25) have provision numbers smaller than 1,000 students. In all, the data in Figure 1, Figure 2 and Table 1 help to highlight two key points – first, that Australia is a key player in the global market for international students; and second, that despite the large share a few nations have in this market, there are a substantial number of countries that host large groups of international students within their higher education systems.

Table 1: Countries hosting international students by size of international student cohort, tertiary education (ISCED 5 and 6), 2009

Number of international students (range) Number of countries

more than 100,000 7

50,000 to 99,000 6

25,000 to 49,000 13

10,000 to 24,900 19

5,000 to 10,000 13

1,000 to 4,999 26

500 to 999 7

30 to 499 18

Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS)

Joining the Dots • Research Briefing • Volume 1 Number 8 December 2011 International students snapshot 5

International student distribution in context

The UIS data for international students in The net flow ratio for 27 countries, all hosting more higher education provides an interesting tool for than 10,000 international students is displayed in contextualising the in-flow and out-flow of students Figure 3. It shows that apart from the Chinese Special while keeping the overall size of the system in Administrative Region of Macao, Australia has perspective. The ‘net flow ratio’ provides a measure the largest net flow ratio of the large international of the balance between incoming international host countries. This highlights the importance of students that the country hosts and outgoing domestic international students to Australian higher education students (i.e. students leaving the country to become in terms of relative size of the sector. It also provides an international student elsewhere), expressed as some perspective on the relatively small proportion of a percentage of all tertiary education students in students in Australia who undertake study abroad. the country.

50.0

40.0

30.0

20.0 Net flow ratio (%) Net flow 10.0

0.0

-10.0 UK Italy USA Chile Japan Spain Brazil Cuba China France Ireland Finland Austria Greece Belguim Sweden Norway Malaysia Thailand Australia Denmark Singapore Switzerland Netherlands New Zealand Republic of Korea Republic China, Macao SAR China,

Figure 3: Net flow ratio of international tertiary education students (ISCED level 5 and 6) by selected countries, 2009 Note: Net flow ratio is the number of tertiary education students from abroad (inbound students) studying in a given country minus the number of students of the same level of education from that country studying abroad (outbound students) expressed as a percentage of the total number of tertiary enrolments in that country.

Countries hosting more than 10,000 international students.

Only countries with available data for calculating net flow ratio included.

Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS)

Joining the Dots • Research Briefing • Volume 1 Number 8 December 2011 6 International students snapshot

International student movement in our region

Analysis of Australia’s international student cohort international students varies greatly. Table 3 presents a by region of the world is displayed in Table 2. The detailed insight into the choices of Asian international table shows that Australian higher education providers students by country of origin and most popular country are attracting substantial numbers of students from of destination, and highlights the complexity of the all parts of the globe. However, with 79.1 per cent market. It is important to note in examining this table of all international students originating from Asia that while the largest host nations (USA, UK and (either East Asia and the Pacific, or ‘the rest of Asia’) Australia) are frequently among the top few destination the ongoing importance of this region to Australian countries, there are dozens of other key ‘players’ institutions is clear. within this region. The UIS data allows for tracking of the key countries Table 3 shows that 23 different host countries appear of destination for students of each nation. For this among the most popular destinations for international briefing, the focus is on Asia and the Pacific. Within students from Asian and Pacific countries. This source countries in Asia, the choice of destination for highlights the diversity of pathways and the number of

Table 2: International students in Australian tertiary education (ISCED level 5 and 6), by region of origin, 2009

Share of international Inbound international student origin Number of students students* (%)

from Africa 7,695 3.0

from North America, Central America and Caribbean 7,996 3.1

from South America 2,657 1.0

from East Asia and the Pacific 154,662 60.0

from the rest of Asia 49,251 19.1

from Europe 10,757 4.2

from Oceania 4,544 1.8

from unspecified region and country 20,075 7.8

Total 257,637 100.0

*percentage share of international students in Australia.

Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS)

Joining the Dots • Research Briefing • Volume 1 Number 8 December 2011 International students snapshot 7

Table 3: International students by country of origin and most popular destinations for tertiary education (ISCED 5 and 6), Asia and the Pacific, 2009 (number of students per destination in brackets)

Number Country students abroad Destination no.1 Destination no.2 Destination no.3 Destination no.4 Destination no.5 Australia Rep. of Korea China 510,314 U.S.A. (124,225) Japan (79,394) U.K. (47,033) (70,357) (39,309) Australia New Zealand Russian Fed. India 195,107 U.S.A. (101,563) U.K. (34,065) (26,573) (5,710) (4,314) South Korea 125,165 U.S.A. (73,832) Japan (24,850) Australia (6,796) U.K. (4,277) Germany (4,105) Australia Russian Fed. Malaysia 53,121 U.K. (12,697) U.S.A. (5,844) Japan (2,147) (19,970) (2,516) Japan 44,768 U.S.A. (28,783) U.K. (3,871) Australia (2,701) France (1,847) Germany (1,778) Russian Fed. Viet Nam 44,038 U.S.A. (12,612) Australia (7,648) France (5,803) Japan (2,895) (3,518) China, Hong Australia China, Macao 32,944 U.K. (9,600) U.S.A. (8,192) Canada (1,578) Kong SAR (12,925) SAR (387) Australia Indonesia 32,346 U.S.A. (7,386) Malaysia (7,325) Japan (1,788) Germany (1,546) (10,205) Iran 31,542 U.S.A. (3,475) Malaysia (3,475) U.K. (2,849) Germany (2,561) Canada (2,086) Pakistan 30,940 U.K. (9,609) U.S.A. (5,211) Australia (2,844) Sweden (2,420) Canada (1,342) Thailand 24,805 U.S.A. (8,592) U.K. (4,674) Australia (4,377) Japan (2,193) Malaysia (976) Nepal 22,291 U.S.A. (11,391) Australia (3,900) Japan (1,457) India (1,252) Cyprus (829) Australia Singapore 19,633 U.S.A. (3,923) U.K. (3,188) Malaysia (606) Canada (355) (10,394) Bangladesh 18,672 U.K. (3,488) U.S.A. (2,662) Australia (2,380) Cyprus (2,085) Japan (1,683) Sri Lanka 16,148 Australia (4,296) U.K. (3,553) U.S.A. (2,927) Japan (1,098) Malaysia (892) Philippines 9,719 U.S.A. (4,157) Australia (1,291) U.K. (1,093) Japan (583) Malaysia (278) Russian Fed. Myanmar 5,005 Thailand (999) Japan (922) U.S.A. (656) Australia (495) (1,034) Laos 4,582 Viet Nam (2,435) Thailand (1,301) Japan (264) Australia (167) France (117) New Zealand 4,530 Australia (2,393) U.S.A. (1,056) U.K. (481) Japan (84) Canada (76) Iran, Isl. Rep. Russian Fed. Afghanistan 3,810 Turkey (509) U.S.A. (400) Germany (278) (676) (228) Cambodia 3,675 Thailand (984) France (546) Viet Nam (388) Australia (366) U.S.A. (347) New Zealand Solomon Islands 3,132 Fiji (2,747) Australia (119) Cuba (50) (53) Brunei New Zealand 2,969 U.K. (1,688) Australia (774) Malaysia (269) Japan (44) Darussalam (65) Timor-Leste 2,319 Indonesia (1,421) Cuba (697) Australia (90) Portugal (32) U.S.A. (30) Russian Fed. North Korea 2,240 Australia (914) India (168) France (160) Philippines (142) (383)

Note: Destination columns show the five most popular destinations for each source country. Countries with more than 2,000 students abroad included.

Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS)

Joining the Dots • Research Briefing • Volume 1 Number 8 December 2011 8 International students snapshot

genuine competitors in the market on which Australian China higher education is heavily dependent. South Korea 39,309 For Australia, while it remains one of the ‘big fish’ in the international student scene, growth in the size, USA quality, and infrastructure for hosting international UK 47,033 124, 255 students in the future is likely to be substantial, thus signalling a warning to Australian providers that the number of host nations is growing, as is their capacity to compete for students. Such trends have also been highlighted recently in the Institute of International Australia Education’s Project Atlas (Bhandari, 2011). A Joining 70,357 the Dots briefing in 2012 will examine the growth Japan trajectory of international student populations across 79,394 different countries to explore this issue in more detail. Using the data in Table 3 and extracting the examples India of two countries, the pie charts in Figure 4 illustrate Russia the top five destinations for international students from 4,314 two of Australia’s largest source markets – China and New Zealand India. This illustration shows that there is significant 5,710 competition among host countries for these students UK and importantly that even the major host countries for 47,033 these two source countries include those which are non-English speaking.

USA Australia 101,563 26,573

Figure 4: Top five destination countries for students from China and India, tertiary education (ISCED 5 and 6), 2009 Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS)

Joining the Dots • Research Briefing • Volume 1 Number 8 December 2011 International students snapshot 9

Conclusion References

This brief examination of data on international student Bhandari, R. (2011). Student Mobility and the flows across the world has served to highlight the Internationalization of Higher Education - large stake that Australia has built-up in this area. This national policies and strategies from six world success is well documented and the contribution of regions, A Project Altlas Report. USA: Institute of this cohort to the Australian economy is significant. International Education. However, the figures displayed here reveal that Marginson, S. (2011). Global position and position- competition for the international student market is taking in higher education: The case of Australia. not simply limited to a few large, English-speaking In S. Marginson, S. Kaur & E. Sawir (Eds.), Higher nations. The number of countries across the world Education in the Asia-Pacific, Strategic Responses that host international students is remarkable, and to Globalization. Dordrecht: Springer. a substantial proportion of the countries engaged in Ziguras, C., & McBurnie, G. (2011). International international education are doing so on a relatively student mobility in the Asia-Pacific: From large scale. While not documented here, there is globalization to regional integration? In substantial growth in the market share of many of those S. Marginson, S. Kaur & E. Sawir (Eds.), Higher host countries with smaller numbers of international Education in the Asia-Pacific, Strategic Responses students – an issue to be examined in the JTD series to Globalization. Dordrecht: Springer. for 2012. These data serve to show that while still a dominant force in international education, Australian higher education providers should be aware of the massive number of participating nations (and institutions) in this market and the potential influence of these competitors on global higher education in the future.

Acknowledgement Joining the Dots is a subscription-based resource provided by ACER to those with an interest in This JTD Research Briefing was written by Dr Daniel Australian Higher Education. In 2011 the series includes Edwards, ACER. The author acknowledges the input of eight research briefings, a monthly news and event digest Dr Sarah Richardson to earlier drafts of the paper. and a webinar series. More detail can be found at www.acer.edu.au/jtd or by emailing [email protected]

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