Export earnings from the overseas student industry: how much?

Education is regularly publicised as Australia’s third-largest export behind coal and iron ore. Although it cannot be disputed that education is a major export, the published figures are inflated because of three broad factors. First, estimates of student expenditure on goods and services in Australia are based on students with different demographic characteristics than the current stock of overseas students. Second, the value of on-shore earnings by overseas students is included in the total. Third, direct costs, such as off-shore agents’ fees have not been deducted from the stated earnings. It is likely that the actual export value of education is about half the stated figure, which would bring Australia’s education export earnings into line with those in the USA. A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W