International higher education students

International higher education students differ from their domestic counterparts, both in characteristics and outcomes. The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the basic differences between these broad student groups and how these have changed over time. Some outcome measures – attrition, retention and progress rates – are also compared.

International students, like domestic students, are not a homogenous group of people. This paper looks at where the international student was residing at the time of study (i.e. within Australia or overseas) to determine if this is a factor that contributes to differences within the international student group.

The information presented in this paper comes from a simple analysis of the available higher education student data, using mainly comparative counts and rates. This paper does not try to unravel all the differences between or within the three student groups examined. Rather it is intended to highlight the fact that considerable differences exist. Further work is required to look at the relationships between variables and the drivers behind change.

A higher education student is someone who is enrolled in a higher education course offered by an Australian university either within Australia, at an overseas campus, or externally.

In the higher education data, citizenship and residence status are used to determine whether the student is considered to be an ‘international’ student or a ‘domestic’ student. Domestic students include those students who are Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, and students with permanent resident status. International students are basically the remainder (e.g. students with a temporary entry permit, diplomats or dependants of diplomats from countries other than New Zealand).

The group of international students can be further split into those who are residing in Australia while studying (66 per cent in 2002) and those residing overseas (34 per cent). The majority of international students residing overseas are enrolled in Australian offshore campuses, with the remainder enrolled as external students of campuses within Australia.

The Australian Government holds the view that the availability of quality education for Australian students must be a top priority. For this reason there are guidelines for fee-paying overseas students enrolled in courses provided by higher education institutions and funded by the Australian Government. These guidelines ensure that institutions can only accept fee-paying overseas students as long as these students do not displace or in any way disadvantage local students. Institutions are also required to charge overseas students fees at a level sufficient to recover the full costs, including capital costs, of delivering their tuition so that funding provided to institutions for the education of Australian students is not diverted to the provision of services for overseas students.

The provision of education and training services to overseas students in Australia is regulated by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) through the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act and associated legislation.

Total higher education student enrolments increased by almost 20 per cent from 1997 to 2002. While growth was experienced in the numbers of both domestic and international students, the rate of increase for domestic students has been modest (8 per cent) compared with that of international students (123 per cent). International students residing in Australia doubled in number from 1997 to 2002, while international students residing overseas increased by 186 per cent.

As a result of the differential growth rates, international students are now making up a substantial and growing proportion of Australian higher education students. In 2002, 18 per cent of students were international students (12 per cent residing in Australia during study and 6 per cent residing overseas). Because of the increasing importance of international students to the Australian higher education system, it is important for higher education providers, policy makers and researchers to understand who these students are, what they are studying, how they study and what their outcomes are compared with other students.

It is also important to look at how these factors are changing over time. As the population of international students is growing rapidly, and the pool of potential students is so diverse, it is highly likely that the characteristics and study patterns of this group of students will change quite quickly. Monitoring these changes is very important in terms of future policy development, and to ensure that the Australian higher education system can continue to attract international students and provide a quality education service to the growing international market.

The data used for this paper was extracted from the higher education statistics collection over the period 1997 to 2002. For comparability across time, first submission data was used for all years.

It was hoped that the Graduate Careers Council of Australia’s recent analysis of data on international students who responded to the Graduate Destination Survey (GDS) and the Course Experience Questionnaire would provide some insight into levels of course satisfaction and graduate employment prospects. However, as the response rate to these surveys is very low for overseas students (less than 30 per cent for the 2002 GDS), the results were considered too unreliable for inclusion in this paper.

The attached tables provide a summary of the main differences in counts and rates across the three groups of students. As outlined above, international students have been split into those who were residing in Australia at the time of their study and those residing overseas. Domestic students are grouped together, regardless of where they were residing. The main points are set out below.

Sex (Table 2)

Females make up a smaller proportion of international students than domestic students. This was the same for 1997 and 2002. While the number of male and female international students grew at a very similar rate over the five- year period, the rate of increase in numbers of male domestic students was less than half that of female domestic students.

The distribution by sex is much more complex when looked at by level of course. The disparity between the numbers of male and female international students is greatest at the postgraduate level. In 2002, for example, for postgraduate research courses only 39 per cent of international students residing in Australia and 37 per cent of international students residing overseas were female (compared with 50 per cent for domestic students). Female international students were, on the other hand, more likely to be enrolled in undergraduate courses.

The distribution of both sexes across level of course is becoming less like the domestic student distribution – with, as discussed later, higher proportions of international students enrolled at the postgraduate by coursework level and less at the undergraduate level in 2002 than in 1997.

Age (Table 3)

International students residing in Australia are, on average, younger than domestic students, while international students residing overseas are, on average, older. The average age difference between the two groups of international students is quite marked – and exists across all levels of course. The average age of students did not appear to change from 1997 to 2002.

Level of course (Tables 4 and 5)

International students and domestic students enrol in different courses. A much higher proportion of both groups of international students are enrolled in Master’s by coursework than domestic students, and a much lower proportion of international students are enrolled in a Bachelor pass course. In 2002, 23 per cent of international students residing in Australia and 30 per cent of international students residing overseas were enrolled in a Master’s by coursework, compared with only 8 per cent of domestic students. The respective proportions of students enrolled in a Bachelor pass course were 61 per cent, 59 per cent and 71 per cent.

The distribution of students by level of course changed little for domestic students from 1997 to 2002. For international students, however, there was considerable change, with marked increases in the proportion enrolled in Master’s by coursework and a corresponding decrease in the proportion enrolled in Bachelor pass. This shift is due to a large increase in the numbers of international students enrolled in the Master’s and a more moderate increase in numbers enrolled in the Bachelor course. From 1997 to 2002 the numbers of international students residing in Australia who were enrolled in a Master’s by coursework increased by 228 per cent. For international students residing overseas the increase was even greater (328 per cent), while for domestic students it was 24 per cent.

Mode of attendance (Table 6)

As would be expected, international students residing in Australia and overseas differ from each other and from domestic students in their mode of study (i.e. internal, external, multi-modal). In 2002, 97 per cent of international students residing in Australia were studying internally at university, compared with 81 per cent of domestic students and 64 per cent of international students residing overseas. However, the proportion of international students residing overseas who are studying internally increased from 1997 to 2002, due to a large rise in the proportion of undergraduates studying internally. This may be due to the growth in the number of Australian campuses overseas and therefore increased access to internal study for students in other countries.

For international students residing in Australia the level of course appears to have little impact on the mode of attendance, with over 95 per cent of 2002 students at all levels studying internally. For international students residing overseas, undergraduates were more likely to be studying internally than postgraduates. For domestic students, a higher proportion of postgraduates by research were studying internally than either undergraduates or postgraduates by coursework.

Type of attendance (Table 6)

In 2002, 90 per cent of international students residing in Australia were studying full-time, compared with only 51 per cent of international students residing overseas and 65 per cent of domestic students. There has been an increase in the proportion of students studying full-time across all groups, but particularly for international students residing overseas. This is consistent with a shift to more internal study for this group of students.

Field of education/study (Table 7)

International students are concentrated in a small number of fields of study to a greater extent than domestic students. In 2002, three fields – Information Technology, Management and Health – accounted for over 80 per cent of international students residing overseas. While Information Technology and Management were also major fields of study for international students residing in Australia, students from this group were more widely spread, with other major areas of study being Engineering and related technologies, and Society and Culture. Domestic students were enrolled across a broader range again, with Society and Culture, Management, Health, Education, and Natural and Physical Sciences being major fields of study.

Attrition, retention and completion rates (Table 8)

Students in any one year can graduate, re-enrol the following year at the same institution or leave the institution and not re-enrol in the following year (either leaving study altogether or enrolling elsewhere). Completion rates measure the proportion of students in that year who graduate. Attrition rates measure the proportion of students who neither graduate nor continue studying in the following year at the same institution. The retention rate is the proportion of students who re-enrol the following year.

The patterns of these rates over the years 1997 to 2002 were relatively stable, but varied across the three groups. International students residing in Australia had low attrition rates and relatively low retention rates, balanced by a high completion rate. International students residing overseas had much higher attrition rates than those residing in Australia (22 per cent compared with 14 per cent in 2002). They also had slightly lower completion rates (24 per cent compared with 27 per cent) and slightly lower retention rates (55 per cent compared with 58 per cent).

Domestic students had an attrition rate of 19 per cent in 2002, higher than international students residing in Australia but lower than those residing overseas. However, domestic students had a much lower completion rate (16 per cent) and a much higher retention rate (66 per cent) than either group of international students.

These patterns will be partly a result of the type and length of courses undertaken by the different groups. It should also be noted that retention and attrition rates do not take account of movements across institutions, which may be more prevalent in some groups or subgroups of students than in others.

Progress rates (Table 8)

The progress rate depicts the level of achievement that identified student groups accomplish during the time that they are in higher education. It should be noted that the progress rates for postgraduate by research courses should be treated with caution as the notion of success in these subjects may be problematic.

There is little difference in terms of progress rates across the three groups. This indicates that higher attrition rates for international students residing overseas are not due to the non-completion of individual units of study. It may be that international students living overseas enrol to undertake particular units of study rather than whole courses.

The progress rates for all three groups have remained relatively stable over the six years from1997 to 2002. This supports the argument that the quality of overseas students on average is not declining as a result of the large increases in student numbers.

What are the implications of the findings?

International students differ from domestic students in the way they study and what they study. As a group they are undergoing substantial growth and change. In comparison, domestic students as a group are much more stable. This is not unexpected, given the growth in the international education industry and diverse nature of the potential international student population. The range of cultures is hugely diverse, and with this comes an equally diverse range of educational expectations and requirements. This will need to be taken into account when trying to attract international students to Australian universities, be it overseas or within Australia.

The changing characteristics of the international student population and the growth in this group of students also need to be taken into account when interpreting higher education data at a total student level, particularly if examining trends, and when looking at gross measures of outcomes of the higher education sector.

Tatjana Lukic,
Anne Broadbent
Maureen Maclachlan
Higher Education Analysis Section
Strategic Analysis and Evaluation Group

March 2004