Record Chinese enrolments at Australian Universities

The Australian embassy's counter at the China International Education Exhibition Tour in Beijing on May 7, 2016. [File Photo: IC]

A record number of Chinese students enrolled at Australian Universities last year.

That's according to specialist publication THE, who report that a record 44 percent of all enrolments in Australian higher education in 2017 were from overseas students.

Of these, some 38 percent apparently came from Chinese students.

It's not just in Australia that Chinese student numbers are rising.

We recently reported that the number of Chinese students in Wales had risen dramatically over the last few years.

Whilst there'd been an overall drop in the number of Asian students who were studying in Wales since 2013, over the same period, the number of Chinese students in the country rose by 90 percent.

This contrasted with a fall of over fifty percent in the number of Bangladeshi and Indian students.

The research confirms other recent stories about the growing importance of learners from China to British universities.

Indeed, the British government is seeking to make it easier for Chinese students in the UK to get visas after studying.

In particular, the UK is keen to attract those with degrees in subjects such as engineering, information technology and medicine.

Analysis of applications for UK student visas showed that over a third of all such visas issued over the last year were to Chinese students.

However, when compared to students in the UK from other countries, those from China are statistically more likely to want to return home to work after their studies.