The International Student Experience in Australian Higher Education: Ongoing challenges and emerging issues

Abstract

There are currently over 5 million students enrolled in courses outside their country of citizenship (OECD, 2016), and Australia is one of the most popular study destinations for many of these students. While the majority of students report high levels of satisfaction with their study experience in Australia, recent research highlights significant issues and challenges faced by international students, particularly in relation to their social integration into the university community and their wellbeing. This paper will examine the challenges – old and new – facing international students in Australian universities, and discuss the implications for universities in enhancing the international student experience. It is argued that to maintain Australia’s strong position in the global international student market, institutions must re-balance their efforts from developing strategies to recruit international students, to finding creative solutions for addressing these challenges and improving the quality of the student experience both within and beyond the university.