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More S'poreans heading Down Under for studies
But Aussie data shows fall in foreign students enrolling in its varsities
By Sandra Davie, Senior Writer
Workers setting up booths and putting up banners for the Study in Australia fair this weekend at Suntec Convention Centre. Some 10,000 Singaporeans are now enrolled in universities Down Under, up from 8,700 three years ago. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
THE number of international students headed for Australian universities has fallen for the first time since 1994, but Singaporeans are bucking the trend.
Figures from the Australian government indicate that 10,000 Singaporeans are now enrolled in universities there at all levels. Three years ago, it was 8,700.
Last year alone, 3,700 headed Down Under.
And more are there for post-graduate degrees too: 1,100 were in master's or PhD programmes last year, up from 900 in 2007. The majority are in undergraduate programmes.
But Australia has had fewer students from elsewhere in the last two years: Foreign students, numbering 630,633 in 2009, fell to 619,110 last year.
Australian media reports have cited a number of reasons for this, including the global recession and the strong Australian dollar. The violent attacks against students from India, in particular, crimped the number of Indian students by a third last year.
These factors seem to have affected Singaporeans far less.
They say the strength of the Australian dollar has been a concern, since it decides how far the money they set aside for tuition and living expenses will go, but they are not particularly worried about their safety there.
Australian university officials said the growing demand from Singapore was a pleasant surprise, given that the Singapore Government has expanded the number of university places at home by setting up the Singapore Institute of Technology and the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
Professor Debra Henly of Griffith University on the Gold Coast said despite the increased opportunities on home soil, there is still unmet demand, especially for degrees in certain fields - and Australian universities have capitalised on that.
Griffith, for example, is popular with Singaporeans eyeing health-related degrees such as nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy. The University of Western Australia (UWA) has also enjoyed a surge in Singaporean student numbers, especially for its science-related courses, including biomedical science.
The university noted that Singaporeans who have earned a UWA degree at home through the PSB Academy are also likely to pick UWA in Perth for their honours-year or post-graduate studies.
UWA is among 20 Australian universities offering degree courses through tie-ups with Singapore private schools. About 20,000 Singaporeans are in such courses, up from 12,000 five years ago.
Australian High Commissioner Doug Chester said Australia remains an attractive study destination for Singaporeans because of its geographic proximity and quality institutions.
'Some 300,000 Singaporeans holiday yearly in Australia. They are familiar with it and it's a convenient study destination,' he said.
Singaporeans are the fourth largest group of foreign students, after those from China, India and Malaysia.
Mr Chester added that, despite the rising Australian dollar, an Australian education was still affordable, with each student needing about $30,000 for fees and living expenses each year.
The Study in Australia fair this weekend at Suntec Convention Centre has attracted all 39 universities Down Under.
The Australian government yesterday handed out the inaugural Australian Alumni Awards to nine graduates of Australian universities with achievements in their fields or who have contributed to Australian education and its community.
The highest honour at the ceremony held here, the Eminent Alumni Award, went to Singapore's Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who studied engineering and commerce at the University of Newcastle on a Colombo Plan Scholarship in the 1970s. This scholarship was instituted in 1950 by Colombo Plan, an inter-governmental agency which aimed to beef up social and economic development in the Asia-Pacific.
From the 1980s, Australia opened its doors to full-fee paying foreign students.
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But Aussie data shows fall in foreign students enrolling in its varsities
By Sandra Davie, Senior Writer
Workers setting up booths and putting up banners for the Study in Australia fair this weekend at Suntec Convention Centre. Some 10,000 Singaporeans are now enrolled in universities Down Under, up from 8,700 three years ago. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
THE number of international students headed for Australian universities has fallen for the first time since 1994, but Singaporeans are bucking the trend.
Figures from the Australian government indicate that 10,000 Singaporeans are now enrolled in universities there at all levels. Three years ago, it was 8,700.
Last year alone, 3,700 headed Down Under.
And more are there for post-graduate degrees too: 1,100 were in master's or PhD programmes last year, up from 900 in 2007. The majority are in undergraduate programmes.
But Australia has had fewer students from elsewhere in the last two years: Foreign students, numbering 630,633 in 2009, fell to 619,110 last year.
Australian media reports have cited a number of reasons for this, including the global recession and the strong Australian dollar. The violent attacks against students from India, in particular, crimped the number of Indian students by a third last year.
These factors seem to have affected Singaporeans far less.
They say the strength of the Australian dollar has been a concern, since it decides how far the money they set aside for tuition and living expenses will go, but they are not particularly worried about their safety there.
Australian university officials said the growing demand from Singapore was a pleasant surprise, given that the Singapore Government has expanded the number of university places at home by setting up the Singapore Institute of Technology and the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
Professor Debra Henly of Griffith University on the Gold Coast said despite the increased opportunities on home soil, there is still unmet demand, especially for degrees in certain fields - and Australian universities have capitalised on that.
Griffith, for example, is popular with Singaporeans eyeing health-related degrees such as nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy. The University of Western Australia (UWA) has also enjoyed a surge in Singaporean student numbers, especially for its science-related courses, including biomedical science.
The university noted that Singaporeans who have earned a UWA degree at home through the PSB Academy are also likely to pick UWA in Perth for their honours-year or post-graduate studies.
UWA is among 20 Australian universities offering degree courses through tie-ups with Singapore private schools. About 20,000 Singaporeans are in such courses, up from 12,000 five years ago.
Australian High Commissioner Doug Chester said Australia remains an attractive study destination for Singaporeans because of its geographic proximity and quality institutions.
'Some 300,000 Singaporeans holiday yearly in Australia. They are familiar with it and it's a convenient study destination,' he said.
Singaporeans are the fourth largest group of foreign students, after those from China, India and Malaysia.
Mr Chester added that, despite the rising Australian dollar, an Australian education was still affordable, with each student needing about $30,000 for fees and living expenses each year.
The Study in Australia fair this weekend at Suntec Convention Centre has attracted all 39 universities Down Under.
The Australian government yesterday handed out the inaugural Australian Alumni Awards to nine graduates of Australian universities with achievements in their fields or who have contributed to Australian education and its community.
The highest honour at the ceremony held here, the Eminent Alumni Award, went to Singapore's Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who studied engineering and commerce at the University of Newcastle on a Colombo Plan Scholarship in the 1970s. This scholarship was instituted in 1950 by Colombo Plan, an inter-governmental agency which aimed to beef up social and economic development in the Asia-Pacific.
From the 1980s, Australia opened its doors to full-fee paying foreign students.
[email protected]
