Students prefer Australia over the US

The United States continues to receive the largest number of Indian students every year, but the growth in the number of Indian students pursuing higher studies in universities and colleges in Australia has been the fastest among all countries.

The gap between the number of Indian students enrolled for post-graduate studies in the US and in Australia has narrowed considerably in the last few years.

This is based on the official estimate that only 25 per cent of all Indian students in the US go for post-graduate studies, compared to 90 per cent of Indian students in Australia going for post-graduate studies.

Thus, 13,666 students out of a total Indian students' strength of 54,664, were enrolled for post-graduate studies in the US in 2001. This figure went up to 18,650 in 2003.

The similar figures for Indian students in universities and colleges in Australia were 9,360 in 2001, and this almost doubled to 17,100 in 2004.

The Australian government has relaxed the conditions required for Australian Student Visa for post-graduate, under-graduate and vocational or polytechnic students on two occasions since the introduction of the current student visa system on July 1, 2001, according to an educational counselor at the Australian High Commission.

From over 10,400 enrollments in 2001, the number has surged to over 19,000 expected in 2004 (China had sent 29,000 students to Australia in the same year). The rapid increase in the popularity of Australia as a preferred study destination for Indian students is demonstrated by the fact that there were only 1,500 Indian student enrollments in 1994.

Most of the post-graduate students were undertaking study in the fields of computing science, business administration and accounting; and engineering. India provides the highest numbers of computing science and engineering student enrollments for Australia's higher education institutions.

Of these, 17,000 higher education enrollments from India, 13,000 or 75 per cent are undertaking a post-graduate qualification by course work, the highest number of any country.

For the next year, the Australian High Commission expects more than 20,000 Indian student enrollments in Australia. India is now expected to be ranked fourth among countries sending their students for enrollments in Australia, up from the 9th position at the start of 2004.

"The Indian student has become mature, he is not in a hurry to finish off studies. Students take breaks in between, the profiles of students coming to us are changing, most of them are working. They are taking informed decisions. Besides, since India is an emerging economy, remunerations within the country have improved considerably," reasoned a counselor at USEFI.