the first time since 2011, South Australia’s international student enrolments have exceeded the national growth rate, 11.4 per cent to 11.1 per cent, with the state attracting nearly 30,400 enrolments in the first three months of 2019*.
A breakdown of enrolments saw 63 per cent in the higher education sector, and just over 16 per cent in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.
South Australia’s school sector is also on the rise, growing by 1.5 per cent, while at the national level, the school sector’s enrolments declined by 2.1 per cent, giving the state’s school sector a bigger share (11 per cent) of total international school student enrolments in Australia.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, David Ridgway said this trend was fantastic news for the State, bringing with it economic benefits as well as an increase in cultural vibrancy to the city.
“This is fantastic news for South Australia and reaffirms our state’s standing as the preferred destination for international students looking to study in Australia, while highlighting the global reputation of our world-class universities which are ranked in the top two per cent worldwide.
“International students are valued members of our community who contribute enormously to our economy, and add to the multicultural vibrancy we’ve so successfully developed in our state.
“In the 2017-18 financial year, international students generated $1.62 billion for the South Australian economy, positioning international education as one of the state’s top export earners.”
In the first three months of 2019, South Australia’s enrolments originating from India grew by 59 per cent (2,010 enrolments) when compared with the same period last year.
India, Nepal, Brazil, Sri Lanka and the Philippines were South Australia’s top five growth markets in that period, with China continuing to be the largest student market for South Australia.
“Adelaide is one of Australia’s most affordable cities and the easy access of our quality education institutions means students are able to spend less time commuting and more time living in our wonderful city,” said Minister Ridgway.
“As a government, we are committed to further growing the international education sector, investing more than ever before into StudyAdelaide and by implementing programs and strategies to forge stronger engagement between our international students and industry.
“With South Australia being home to the nation’s space agency, $89 billion worth of defence projects and leading the way in renewable energy across the country, it’s clear young people are recognising these exciting opportunities in a city that is consistently ranked among the 10 most liveable cities in the world.”
“Working closely with the federal government, Adelaide has also been announced as one of the few cities in Australia where international students will qualify for an additional year of the 485 visa which provides further opportunities for students to call South Australia home.”
For further information about international education in South Australia, visit
*Source of data: Austrade International Education, YTD March 2019
