India Leads Growth in NZ International Students

29/04/11

India is now New Zealand’s third largest source of international students, having increased their numbers by almost 350 per cent since 2006.

“New Zealand’s reputation as a safe and welcoming country with high quality educational institutions has made it an increasingly popular choice for Indian students,” says Education New Zealand’s acting Chief Executive, Kathy Phillips.

“Word of mouth and agent confidence are essential for attracting students to our shores. Indian students in New Zealand have had wonderful experiences here. That news is filtering back home and that’s contributing to why we’re seeing such impressive growth,” says Kathy Phillips.

The number of international students in New Zealand increased by close to 3,000 in 2010. The top source countries continued to be China and South Korea, which account for 38 per cent of New Zealand’s nearly 100,000 international students between them. However, Japan’s traditional third place spot has been overtaken by the continued growth of India as a student source country.

Almost 11,600 Indian students were enrolled in New Zealand in 2010. The majority were at private education providers, and an increasing number were also enrolling at polytechnics and institutes of technology. In the past, many Indian students only went abroad for postgraduate studies, but the growing middle class is now sending more students overseas for undergraduate education, and many are choosing to study in New Zealand.

Other countries sending growing numbers of students to New Zealand last year included Germany, Brazil, Vietnam and Thailand.

“Ten years ago, the international student community in New Zealand was largely dominated by China and other North Asian countries. Now we see a truly global mix of students in our institutions. This benefits everyone by making our communities more multicultural and developing worldwide networks of New Zealand educated alumni,” says Kathy Phillips.

While student numbers grew by a fairly modest three per cent in 2010, tuition fee revenue grew by seven per cent to over $708 million. The total value of education exports to the New Zealand economy (including accommodation and other expenditures) is over $2.4 billion per year.

ENDS