High costs deter Chinese from applying for Australian student visas
August 05 2009 by Mark Johnstone
Chinese students move to Australia
The rise in the number of Chinese students applying to move to Australia to study is expected to slow this year, due to the high cost of tuition.
According to Ian Watt, the Minister-Counsel for Education at the Australian embassy in Beijing, the number of Chinese students applying for student visas rose by 20% in 2008, but will only rise by 10-15% this year. This reduction in growth has been attributed to a 20% rise in tuition fees over the past two years.
Another factor could be the relaxation of US student visa restrictions, which has seen the number of applications approved increase from an average of 50% to 80% this year. This has resulted in more Chinese students applying to study in the US.
Students from China usually want to take up higher education courses, with 50% applying for masters or bachelor degrees when looking to study abroad.
Despite concerns over the rising costs, the number of Chinese students studying in Australia has still risen sharply over the past decade, rising from 40,000 in 1998 to 120,000 in 2009.
In contrast to Chinese students, Indian students studying with an Australian visa often opt for more vocational courses and focus on gaining permanent residency as a result of their studies.
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