A record number of international students are choosing to study in Victoria, cementing our position as an international education destination.
Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert used his speech at the 2016 Asia Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) Annual Conference and Exhibition to highlight the growth of international education in Victoria.
The new data from the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training has revealed 175,000 international students studied in Victoria in 2015, up from 160,000 the year before.
It also shows nearly a third of all international students in Australia now choose to study in Victoria, a record high for the state.
International education is Victoria’s largest services export, generating more than $5.6 billion for the state economy and supporting 30,000 jobs in 2015, up from $4.8 billion in 2014.
The sector’s value to the state has more than doubled in the last decade when export earnings were just $2.8 billion in 2006.
The Andrews Labor Government is finalising its International Education Sector Strategy which will form a building block in our plan to expand and grow international education into the future.
The APAIE conference is one of the largest and most well recognised forums in the Asia-Pacific region bringing together 1,600 delegates from more than 46 countries including 184 from Japan.
The conference is a chance for Victoria to showcase to delegates the high calibre of Victorian universities and their research expertise.
Delegates will have the chance to visit the Study Melbourne Student Centre. The centre supports international students in Victoria and provides a range of support including legal advice and health and wellbeing information.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert
"Melbourne is the perfect host for this conference. Our universities are some of the best in the world and we’re ranked second only to Paris – as the most popular destination for international students in the world."
"Victoria is one of the greatest multicultural societies and we welcome people from all over the world. It’s not hard to see why we’re now such a popular destination for 175,000 international students each year."
"Victoria is renowned for its research excellence and this Government is strengthening international education and collaborative research partnerships in the Asia Pacific region."
Reviewed 19 August 2020