AUSTRALIA DOORS OPEN FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS

Australia's 39 universities are preparing for a brand new day in 2012: not only will government quotas on the number of local students they enrol be lifted, but they will also be able to recruit as many foreigners as they wish as a result of a new fast-track visa system.

In an unexpectedly generous move that surprised even sceptical vice-chancellors, the federal government decided to lift most restrictions on the issuing of student visas to overseas students applying for a university place, opening the way for a likely flood of new applications from China, India, Pakistan and other Asian countries.

Universities that agree to meet certain requirements regarding the students they admit will also have access to a new streamlined system that will speed up visa processing.

AUSTRALIA AS AN ACADEMIC DESTINATION

AUSTRALIA AS AN ACADEMIC DESTINATION


The six states and two territories of Australia are responsible for providing higher education to their residents, but the federal government pays about 40 percent of the costs. In 2007 nearly one-million students were enrolled in the country’s 42 public and two private universities. 

Most students pay a portion of their tuition. The amount they pay is determined by the cost of instruction and their likely future earnings. 

The country offers six post secondary degrees: the diploma, advanced diploma, bachelor’s degree, graduate certificate/graduate diploma, master’s degree, and doctoral degree. The diploma and advanced diploma require two and three years of study, respectively. The bachelor’s degree requires three or four years; additional study of up to one year can result in a graduate certificate /graduate diploma. The master’s and doctoral degrees require an additional two and three years, respectively. 
  
The education ministry intends by 2012 to give a national agency the power to regulate accreditation and auditing of education providers. 

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