The state has bounced back strongly from the pandemic, lifting its share of international enrolments.
WESTERN Australia’s education export industry is experiencing a strong revival, defying expectations of a slow post-pandemic recovery, according to the latest official data.
Austrade data show WA had 49,350 total international student enrolments in the 12-month rolling period to June 30, up 29 per cent from pre-pandemic levels of 38,317.
Total international student enrolments refer to the number of students enrolled in a course of study across the higher education, vocational education and training, school, English language intensive courses for overseas students and non-award sectors.
The total figure includes students who are continuing study from previous years as well as those who have started study in the past 12 months.
Student commencement data is considered a clear indicator of the strength of a specific market.
This number for the state, as a component of total international student enrolments, is particularly strong.
In the 12 months to June 30, 24,591 students started study in WA compared with 15,108 in the comparable 2018-19 period, representing a 63 per cent increase on pre-pandemic commencement levels.
About half of all WA student enrolments are to complete qualifications in the higher education segment.
In that sector, annual student enrolments rose from 20,262 before the pandemic to 24,400 by the end of June, representing growth of 20.4 per cent in the number of university students calling WA home.
University student commencements were particularly strong – again reflecting the strength of the WA market.
They rose from 6,107 students pre-pandemic to 10,413 in 2022-23, growth of 70.5 per cent. WA is often compared with South Australia, which appeared to be outperforming the state before COVID. Since the pandemic, South Australia has notched a 25 per cent growth in total international student enrolments, and 37 per cent growth in commencements.
Victoria, the most popular destination for international students, has struggled to replicate its pre-pandemic numbers.
Enrolments in Victoria for 2022-23 are down 11 per cent while commencements have eased 0.3 per on pre-pandemic levels.
WA’s market share of student commencements in Australia now sits at 8.5 per cent (up from 6.3 per cent pre-pandemic) compared with South Australia at 5.9 per cent (up from 5.2 per cent pre-pandemic) and Victoria at 29 per cent (down from 35 per cent pre-pandemic).
There has also been a shift in where students are coming from.
The top five source countries (in order) are India, Bhutan, China, Pakistan and Nepal, marking a subtle change from the pre-pandemic scenario, where the leading countries were India, China, Malaysia, Bhutan and Brazil.
Making up the top 10 source markets were the Philippines, Colombia, Brazil, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Interestingly, our closest neighbour Indonesia does not rank in the top 10.
The rapid return of the international students market beyond pre-pandemic levels has both surprised and delighted those within the industry but there is concern the growth trends might not be sustainable.
Dirk Mulder, a Perth-based international education expert, said that traditionally students and families had sought out international education guided by four characteristics: high quality, safety, cost and opportunities for work experience and earning money to pay back student loans.
“While the quality and safety boxes are currently checked, there is speculation across the sector that increasingly tight housing market conditions and the costs that go with that could deter students from coming to WA and other states,” Mr Mulder said.
“Add to that the fact the number of hours that students are permitted to work while studying has just been capped again as well as recent government announcements that have closed loopholes for overseas students to change courses, and we could see some of the current growth soften.”
In the meantime, as growth for WA’s international education industry surges, students from overseas will continue to fill skills gaps across industries and contribute to a vibrant cultural diversity in the classroom as well as the broader community.
• Professor Gary Martin is chief executive officer of the Australian Institute of Management WA
