Over the last few years, Nepali students have been flying abroad to pursue higher education and this trend is increasing each year. To begin with, Australia, China, Canada, India, South Korea, Cyprus, New Zealand, the United States of America, Germany, Bangladesh are the most popular destinations. Interestingly, government statistics show that there has been a 7 times increase in the number of students traveling abroad for higher studies for the last 8 years.
Australia, among all other destinations, stands as the most preferred destination for higher studies. As of June 2018, 94,470 Nepalese borns were living in Australia, 6 times the number on 30th June 2008. This stat shows the popularity of Australia among Nepali people. In the fiscal year 2017-18, 32,296 Nepali students went to Australia for higher studies. Nepal accounts for 7% of foreign students studying in Australia.
In the past three years, enrollments of Nepali students have increased from 21,000 to 65,700 simultaneously, according to the Department of Education, Australia as of October 2019. So, why is Australia so a popular destination for Nepali students?
In general, there are two factors. push factors as well as luring factors, both influence the attraction towards Australia. In the first place, the push factors are internal Nepali factors such as an under-financed education system, irrational curriculum structure, low level of effectiveness, political instability, underpay, and inadequate opportunities to the highly educated. Similarly, there are many push factors too and these push factors contribute to Nepali students looking for a better education system and secure career/ future.
In the first place, let’s talk about the luring factors, these are external to Nepal. These are the factors influencing Nepali students towards Australian dreams. To begin with, Australia ranks 8th in the Universities 2019 U21 Ranking of National Higher Education Systems with its six universities into the Top 100, worldwide. Similarly, Australia ranks third as a global education destination with 700,000 students from around the globe. Likewise, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, and the Gold Coast are the best destination cities ranked in the Top 100 worldwide. Equally important, the Australian government has invested in scholarships of over A$ 300 million for foreign students. Furthermore, Australian universities have produced 15 Nobel laureates and over 2.5 million international alumni. In addition, lifestyle and earnings play an influential role in luring international students.
Owing to all these factors, young ambitious Nepali students are dreaming and choosing Australia as a future destination. As a result, the rate of Nepali students in Australia has been growing and is expected to grow in the coming days as well.
Significantly, the increasing trend of Nepali students flying in Australia for higher studies could be better understood with the help of the following data:
| Year | No. Of students | % of change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 752 | – |
| 2006 | 1222 | 63 % |
| 2007 | 3875 | 217 % |
| 2008 | 9737 | 151 % |
| 2009 | 15655 | 61 % |
| 2010 | 15165 | -3 % |
| 2011 | 12030 | -21 % |
| 2012 | 10154 | -16 % |
| 2013 | 8928 | -12 % |
| 2014 | 11353 | 27 % |
| 2015 | 13250 | 17 % |
| 2016 | 14655 | 11 % |
| 2017 | 20649 | 41 % |
| 2018 | 32296 | 56 % |
| 2019 | 46866 | 45 % |
| 2020 | 53524 | 14 % |
| 2021 | 46157 | -14 % |
Note: The source of the above data is the website of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
Source: https://www.austrade.gov.au/australian/education/countries/nepal
Provided that Australia has a strong education system and a joyous lifestyle. Besides that, there are some other reasons to choose Australia over other destinations for abroad study, due to its natural beauty, coral beauty, beautiful beaches, big metropolitans, diversified wildlife beauty, scenic beauty, abundant leisure opportunities, cross-culture. Not only the natural beauty and appeal but also the independent lifestyle, quality of life, higher-earning opportunities, better-paying jobs, and a secure future, and the strong presence of the Nepali community there. In summary, these are just a few reasons why Australia is a top destination. To put it differently, the main reasons to choose this beautiful country are:
- Easy Visa access and permit
- Plenty of courses for aspiring students.
- Scholarships
- Migration
- Job opportunities
- Competitive cost of living
- Well developed infrastructure
Easy Visa access and permit
Comparatively, an Australian visa is easier to acquire than Canada and the United States. Despite the huge number of applications, only around 22 % of visas are likely to be rejected as of 2019. Even if you meet genuine temporary entrant’s requirements, financial requirements, English proficiency requirements, Overseas Students Health Cover (OSHC), and a good character certificate, you’re among the likely ones to achieve an immigration visa to Australia.
Plenty of courses for aspiring students
Forty-three universities, over 1100 institutions offering more than 22,000 courses to you. Important to realize, Australia is the choice of young aspirants for higher studies and graduate degrees. Identically Australia offers competitive and globally recognized education degrees that open global horizons for jobs and career-shaping to students who graduated from its universities.
Scholarships
The Australian government has invested more than 300 million Australian dollars for international students in scholarships to support their education. But, there are merits and criteria set to achieve these scholarships. The main motive of these scholarship programs is to encourage the enrollment of women applicants, minority groups, and people belonging to rural/economically weaker sections of society.
Migration
Further, Australia offers temporary residence and permanent residences to international students who choose to settle there. Especially, the youths who have studied in Australia do not have job opportunities matching their profile back at home. Not to mention why they choose to settle there. and Australia welcomes these migrants since it is a vast country with only 26 million people.
Job opportunities
Significantly, Australia is a booming economy and has a very limited population of its own. Now that leads to an imbalance between job opportunities and a shortage of workforce which leads to the high demand for working people. There is a huge demand for skilled, semi-qualified manpower in the Australian economy meanwhile and henceforth. Australia has abundant job opportunities for migrants and students both full-time and part-time. For example IT sectors, Hospitality, Health Care, Banking and Corporate, which are very developed on the contrary to Nepal.
Competitive cost of living
Above all, Australia is known for its competitive cost of living. When compared to other major world destinations like the United States and the United Kingdom the cost of living in Australia is cheaper. Significantly, the cost of living in Australia is relatively low. When compared to Canada, New Zealand, France, and Germany it is competitive. Australia provides a high-quality lifestyle at a competitive cost as compared to other major destinations.
Well developed infrastructure
Certainly, students cannot afford private vehicles, private doctors, etc. But, Australia has a well-developed link of public transportation networks at very affordable rates. A well-optimized health care system by mandating health covers while obtaining visas keeping the migrants in regular check. In addition, well-developed communication system and other major infrastructures too.
As a result of all these qualities, Australia attracts young students from developing countries like Nepal to pursue their higher education in Australia.
On the other hand, the economic condition of our country is poor. The low Per Capita Income, Low Human Development Index, political instability, lack of infrastructure, poor good governance, poor corporate structure and development, fewer opportunities, and underpay play a crucial role in pushing Nepali youths towards the Australian dream. Because youths want a global lifestyle in this modern world.
Since the last few years, Australia has been increasingly popular as the hub for international education, and Nepali students contribute 7 % to their total international students. Australia has provided itself as an ideal destination, offering the ultra-modern lifestyle, jobs, globally recognized education degrees, a secure career, and a safe future. So, most of the youths of Nepal are choosing Australia as their destination for higher studies.
In addition, Australia has been supporting international students during hard times, such as COVID-19 in living costs, health care, and tuition fees. Meanwhile, this gesture shows the positive attitude of Aussies towards the Nepali community. As a result, the number of students choosing Australia over other countries as an educational destination is expected to grow as the situation of pandemics normalizes.
In conclusion, Australia is becoming increasingly popular as can be seen over the few years among Nepali students. On the other hand, student migrants are settling in Australia with PR whereas students returning to Nepal after finishing their studies are very less, comparatively. The facilities and encouragement from the Australian government are very friendly for the students to choose Australia as their career destination.
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