Improving the Australian experience for international students

CAPA welcomes the recognition of the need for additional support for international students, expressed in the sixth recommendation of Universities in Crisis.

"It is absolutely unacceptable for any university to view international students merely as sources of income. Universities need to regard ongoing support for international students during their studies as being as important as taking their fees" said CAPA President, Mr John Byron.

Sky-rocketing teacher-student ratios have had a particularly detrimental effect on international students. International students may require more guidance from academic staff than domestic students in order to adapt to the Australian education system.

The average staff-student ratio in Australian universities is now higher than 1 to 18, and Universities in Crisis records instances of ratios of 1 to 40. In comparison, the staff-student ratio at leading US colleges, competing with Australian universities to attract international students, ranges from 1 to 8 to a maximum ratio of 1 to 12.

Students choose to study in Australia both because of the quality of the education that they can receive here and because of the appeal of the Australian lifestyle. However, both the Australian education system and way of life can be very different from that which they have experienced at home.

"International students in some universities have effectively been left to fend for themselves, with little support while they adapt to the Australian way of doing things", said Mr Byron.

"CAPA has heard considerable anecdotal evidence from international students whose expectations about studying in Australia have been disappointed. Without additional support international students can feel isolated, lonely and frustrated."

Support services such as orientation programmes, English language support, accommodation assistance, and student associations all help to make the transition to Australian life a lot easier.
While Australian universities have recognised the need for this kind of support, the range and quality of support services provided for international students can differ dramatically between universities.

"International students pay a large amount of money to study in Australia and deserve to receive any support they may need when they get here", said Mr Byron.

"Additional support for international students helps to make their experience of Australia a positive one. The fact of the matter is that international students who have enjoyed their time in Australia are more likely to recommend Australia as an education destination to fellow students at home."