International students welfare

The welfare of our international students is a priority for ACPET and for the 650 of our 1100 member Colleges who are actively engaged in the delivery of international education to more than 120,000 overseas students. This priority is demonstrated by

• the education and training services to international students by ACPET member Colleges are underwritten by ACPET members thus providing international students with the single most comprehensive student support service in Australia
• ACPET consistently monitors international education and undertakes extensive analysis of the experiences of our students
• ACPET argues strongly on behalf of our member Colleges for quality, diversity and choice in international education for the benefit of students
• ACPET has been a leading advocate for international students in terms of quality of information, security, and legislation and regulatory practice.

A synthesis of the key findings from a survey which has canvassed more than 4,500 students from120 countries shows that

• better quality of education is the main motivation for considering study overseas
• motivators for study included improvement of career prospects and improvement of English language skills with clear indications for the work and findings of the Victorian taskforce
• decision taking by prospective students is based on a specific course of study with less than 20% of students choosing their study destination first
• trusted people and sources of information are significant influencers of international students with other methodologies such as league tables and agents having nil influence
• while quality of program and reputation are important aspects, practical factors such as safety, cost and accessibility (visa, arrival/departure etc) are important benchmarks

The key message from these findings is that the majority of international students choose Australian private education because it provides excellent learning environments with highly capable teaching staff who are experts in their industry and who are committed to providing the best possible experience to students.