In a world opening up its doors after the pandemic, Australia has emerged as a global favourite for students, business ventures, and tourists. The country is big, exciting and safe, with eight states and territories that offer an incredibly diverse range of experiences for international students.
The Australian parliament has recently also approved legislation to implement the Australia-India Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA). This means new trade arrangements will come into force on December 29, 2022. The agreement has made the country even more welcome for Indian students.
For instance, the Australian Government has recently announced a plan to increase the duration of post-study work rights for recent graduates, which has made Australia better placed among comparable countries as far as the situation after graduation is concerned.
As per AI-ECTA, Australia has confirmed post-study work rights in a side letter to a free trade agreement and will extend access for STEM graduates. Australia will maintain opportunities for former Indian students to live, study and work temporarily upon completion of a diploma or trade qualification (up to 18 months), a bachelor’s degree (up to two years), a master’s degree (up to three years) or a doctoral degree (up to four years). An additional year will be available for Indians who graduate with bachelor’s degrees in STEM and ICT with first class honors (from two to three years).
Australia will also provide work and holiday visa with multiple entries to 1000 young Indians, in the age group of 18-30 years, for a period of one year. Under this initiative, they can undertake study or training for up to four months (17 weeks).
Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) will enhance the prospects for Indian students in Australia in medicine and other professional fields. In turn, this will help Australian universities to expand in India as they develop new offshore- delivery programs.
Meanwhile, Indian students who gain top grades in technical and science subjects will be able to work for longer periods in Australia. This will help boost our $169 billion tech sector.
These changes will only help increase the already rising number of Indian students to Australia. Indian students are now the second biggest group of international students in Australia. We expect to see this continue with increasing numbers of Indian students flying to Australia in coming years.
Apart from the steady rise in commencement numbers, there is also a rise in the number of visas being issued to Indian students. The numbers have gone up from 47,031 in 2020-’21 to 55,520 in 2021-’22 (until 31 August, 2022). We’re seeing Australia attract very high-quality students focused on global careers.
This is in congruence with the high-quality education that Australian universities offer. As per the QS World University Rankings 2023, an impressive 14 Australian universities were in the top 200.
Several of these Australian universities are also visiting India, with a focus on engagement with Indian Universities for research collaboration, transnational education opportunities and broader relationships here in India.
Scholarships
Apart from the treaty, Australian education scene also offers an array of scholarships for Indian students. Some of them are:
Australia Awards – These awards aim to promote knowledge, education links, and enduring ties between Australia and our neighbours through extensive scholarship programs. The program brings together scholarships offered by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT), the Department of Education and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Read more about Australia Awards.
Destination Australia – The Destination Australia Program (DAP) is an Australian Government program that funds eligible tertiary education providers to offer scholarships to domestic and international students to study in regional Australia. These scholarships are valued at up to $15,000 per student, per year, and are available to students undertaking studies ranging from a Certificate IV through to a PhD for up to four years in regional campus locations across Australia.
Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) – You can find out more about the Research Training Program at the Department of Education website. Applications for these scholarships are made directly to a participating university.
Provider scholarships – Australian education providers regularly offer scholarships to qualifying international students. Consult with the admissions team or international office at the provider you are applying to for further advice and information. All scholarships listed on our website are available to international students.
Many are available to students of all nationalities. However, all scholarship conditions are set by the institution or organisation offering the scholarship. Find out what scholarships you might be eligible for.
For a detailed list of scholarships, visit our Study Australia website. Study Australia website, cost calculator and more. It also carries details on all the services that the Australian government offers for international students and parents. The new India student landing page on the
‘Study Australia’ website – studyinaustralia.gov.au/india also features the most comprehensive course and scholarship search functionality.
The website has recently introduced a ‘cost calculator’ to help students understand the budgets and cost-of-living in different Australian cities.
Apart from these, Study Australia has launched first of its kind exclusive Instagram Channel for India – Study Australia India (studyauofficial_india) – which will have regular updates on all the information for students in Hindi and other regional languages.
Courtesy : The Indian Express