Holders of Australian student visas feel happier and safer-Survey

Australia, 12th January: Foreign students on Australian student visas feel happier and safer than they were around four years back; reveal the findings of a latest survey by the Australian government.

The survey carried out between 2009 and mid 2010 indicated around 86 percent foreign students enrolled in Australian universities felt safer and happier. A similar poll conducted in the year 2006 had revealed that 75 percent of survey respondents had expressed their satisfaction with their security in Australia

Commissioned by the Federal Government, the survey involving around 50,000 students was undertaken after a series of racial attacks on Indian students in Australia and several reforms introduced in the Australian student visa process.

The survey was done on international students pursuing English language and TAFE courses apart from around 36,000 foreign students studying in Australian universities.

The survey findings show that around 84 percent foreign students felt satisfaction with their experiences of studies in Australia while around 86 percent felt happy with their living experience.

Moreover, the satisfaction levels of foreign students with regard to their course content as well as their teachers were quite high than the levels found in the survey undertaken in the year 2006. 

Meanwhile, the level of satisfaction among foreign students in Australia regarding their visa process and their social living was quite low as compared to the foreign students pursuing study courses in other nations.

The survey is a positive news for the international education sector which is seeing a downtrend in terms of new student enrolments. The international education sector has been instrumental in bringing a revenue of $18 billion in the year 2009 and is regarded as the most valuable sector for the country.

Nonetheless, the nation continues to witness a decline in the number of international student enrolments in Australian education institutes despite a higher level of satisfaction and happiness among the international students on Australian study visas.

The survey is a part of the steps by the Australian government to bring desired improvements in the experiences of foreign students in Australia. In the year 2012, another survey will be undertaken to know the effect of the foreign student strategy unveiled by the state, territory governments and the Commonwealth in October 2010.