The figure for international students in Australia set a record in 2017, with the largest increase recorded in a single year. 

According to the international education data, there were more than 624,000 international students in 2017, showing an increase of 13 per cent from 2016. 

The 13 per cent made up almost 71,000 students. 

The most recent figures have made Australia the third most popular study destination for international tertiary students.

Tertiary students from China and India contributed to this high popularity, making Australia the second most popular destination from just the two countries. 

“We’re seeing a strong growth from a range of countries,” Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said. 

“Since 2014, we’ve seen 54 per cent growth in Chinese student numbers, 62 per cent growth from Brazil, 73 per cent from Colombia, 79 per cent from Sri Lanka, 48 per cent from India, and even 13 per cent from Nepal,” he added. 

International student’s enrolments grew across not only in tertiary, but all education sectors. This included 15 per cent in higher education, 17 per cent in VET, 11 per cent in schools, 14 per cent in non-award courses, and three per cent in English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS).

Research has shown that 93 per cent of 65,000 international students chose Australia to study because of safety reasons. 

In addition, education has delivered a strong boost to the economy with Australia’s most recent international education export sector being worth $30.9 billion in 2017, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). 

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