Australian universities unite to lure elite Indian students
Australia’s top universities have teamed up with elite Indian private schools in “a concerted push” to attract students whose first preference would be Oxbridge or the US Ivy League.
Australia’s eight leading research universities, witnessed by federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne, will on Monday sign an agreement with six elite schools in Delhi to offer educational opportunities for students in the schools and training for their teachers, as a first step to luring them to Australia for their degree.
Until now the Indian international student market has been primarily driven by the prospect of gaining permanent residence in Australia, meaning that large numbers of Indian students opt for study for vocational qualifications or degrees at cheaper and less prestigious universities.
Last year the Group of Eight universities only had 2,400 students from India, compared to a total of 26,000 Indian students studying at higher education level in Australia. But even this small number was a 33% increase on 2013 for the Group of Eight.
(Courtesy of Sannam S4)
Source: Australian Financial Review
