Number 2015/3	
Study pathways of international students in Australia
Introduction
During their Australian education experience, the majority of international students undertake study in more than one educational sector. The English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector is the first step in an Australian study pathway for nearly two-thirds international students. Many other study pathways are also available. For example, 42 per cent of international students in Australian schools go onto further study in the tertiary sector and 46 per cent of international students in higher education had studied in one of the other sectors previously.
This paper presents the findings of the Department of Education and Training’s annual analysis of the major study pathways followed by international students through Australia’s education system. To achieve this, the study pathway options of four separate cohorts of international students are analysed in detail, with each cohort being broadly representative of the whole population of international students in Australia. The key findings of this analysis are presented below, followed by a more comprehensive analysis of each cohort. Lastly, the appendices detail the methodology used in this study and provide a set of tables showing the wide diversity of study pathways undertaken by different students.
Key findings
Study pathways of international students who completed ELICOS in 2013
•	Of the nearly two-thirds (65%) of international students enrolled in an ELICOS course who went on to further study in another sector: one-third (34%) moved immediately to higher education; one-quarter (23%) moved immediately to VET; and the remainder moved to the non-award (5%) and schools (3%) sectors. Just over one-third (35%) of ELICOS students did not undertake any further study.
•	Overall, when other indirect study pathways are also considered, 37 per cent eventually progressed through to higher education; and 25 per cent of ELICOS students eventually progressed to VET. 
•	Of the top ten nationalities, 73 per cent of Chinese ELICOS students and 69 per cent of Indian ELICOS students went on to study in higher education. Two in five Korean and Indian ELICOS students (41% each) and 46 per cent of Thai ELICOS students progressed to VET. Students from Colombia, Japan, Brazil, Korea, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan were most commonly enrolled in ELICOS without undertaking any further study. 
Study pathways of international students who completed school in 2013
•	Of the more than half (54%) of international students who progressed on to another sector in Australia after school, one-third (33%) moved immediately to higher education and 9 per cent moved immediately to VET. 
•	The inclusion of other indirect study pathways does not substantially change the above proportions.
•	Half of school students from China and 58 per cent of Malaysian school students progressed from school to higher education. About one-quarter (23%) of school students from Vietnam recorded a pathway to VET.  Very high proportions of school students from Italy, Germany and Brazil did not undertake a study pathway to another sector. 
Study pathways of international students who commenced in higher education in 2014
•	In 2014, 54 per cent of students who commenced study in higher education did not have prior study in any other sector. Of the remainder, 29 per cent undertook study in ELICOS immediately before commencing in higher education; 7 per cent were in VET; 7 per cent were in non-award study and 3 per cent were in school.
•	If all direct and indirect pathways are incorporated, 36 per cent of commencing higher education students had some prior study in ELICOS; 8 per cent had prior study in VET; 8 per cent had prior study in non-award courses; and 4 per cent in school.
•	Students from Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Nepal were most likely to enrol directly into higher education. Students from China, Vietnam and Korea most commonly progressed from ELICOS to higher education. One in five higher education students from Korea had a pathway from VET.
•	Over one-third (38%) of Bachelor Degree students commenced study in Australia at that level. Of those students with some prior study, larger shares recorded study at the non-award and Diploma levels (45% and 27% respectively).
•	Two-thirds (67%) of Postgraduate Research students did not undertake any prior study in Australia. Of those students who had undertaken prior study, 21 per cent recorded non-award study, 13 per cent were at Masters by coursework level and 10 per cent at Bachelor degree level.
Study pathways of international students who commenced in VET in 2014
•	In 2014, 46% of students who commenced study in VET did not have any prior study in any other sector. Of the remainder, just over one-third (36%) of VET students studied in ELICOS immediately before their commencement in VET, 16 per cent in higher education and 1 per cent each were in school and in non-award study. 
•	Overall, if all direct and indirect study pathways are also considered, 46 per cent of VET students had some prior study in ELICOS, 17 per cent were in higher education, 3 per cent each were in school and in non-award courses.
•	Students from the Philippines, Malaysia, Nepal and Indonesia were most likely to enrol directly into VET. Students from Thailand, Brazil, Vietnam, China and Korea were more likely to have progressed to VET from ELICOS. Nearly half (48%) of students from India enrolled directly in VET and 28 percent had prior study in higher education.
Study pathways of international students after completing ELICOS
In 2013, 55,746 international students on a student visa completed an ELICOS course of study in Australia for the first time. About one-third of these students moved immediately to higher education and nearly one-quarter moved immediately to VET. Small proportions moved to non-award study and school (5.1% and 3.0% respectively).
Table 1 shows the overall flow of students from the ELICOS sector through to the higher education, VET, Schools and Non-award sectors. This incorporates students who enrolled in the ELICOS sector and chose not to undertake a pathway to another sector and those students who undertook various study pathways to the other sectors after a period of ELICOS study. Of the students who completed an ELICOS course in 2013, 36.6 per cent progressed from ELICOS to higher education, 25.2 per cent from ELICOS through to VET and 34.6 per cent of students only undertook study in ELICOS and did not progress to another sector. Comparatively small proportions progressed from ELICOS to either the Schools or Non-award sectors.
Table 1. Direct and indirect inter-sector study pathways from ELICOS	 			
Inter-sector pathway*	Students	Share of total	 			
Total in cohort	55,746	100.0%	 			
 	 	 	 			
ELICOS and no further^	19,267	34.6%	 			
ELICOS-Higher education	20,395	36.6%	 			
ELICOS-VET	14,036	25.2%	 			
ELICOS-Schools	1,654	3.0%	 			
ELICOS-Non-award	2,953	5.3%	 			
* the inter-sector pathway of students who recorded study in more than one sector are
 not mutually exclusive, therefore the individual components do not add to the total.	
^ includes 320 students (0.6%) who enrolled in another sector before ELICOS and did not move on to another sector after ELICOS.			
Using the distribution of students with inter-sectoral study pathways from ELICOS discussed above, in the event of a 10 per cent increase in the number of students who complete ELICOS shows student numbers progressing to higher education and VET increases by about 2,050 and 1,400 respectively. Conversely, a 10 per cent decline on 2013 figures of the number of students completing an ELICOS course of study would mean that the number of students progressing to higher education and to VET would decline by about 2,030 and 1,400 respectively. 
Table 2 shows 58.4 per cent of students who completed an ELICOS course in 2013 had a study pathway that included ELICOS and one other sector. These were mostly students who undertook ELICOS study before progressing to courses of study in the VET and higher education sectors. A further 7.3 per cent recorded a pathway from ELICOS to two other sectors and a small share progressed from ELICOS to three or more sectors. Just over one-third (34.0%) of the cohort were ELICOS students who enrolled directly into an ELICOS course of study and did not move on to another sector.
Table 2. Students in ELICOS: Number of sectors recorded	
Number of sectors	Students	Share of total	
ELICOS only	18,947	34.0%	
ELICOS and one other	32,578	58.4%	
ELICOS and two others	4,053	7.3%	
ELICOS and three or more others	168	0.3%	
Total	55,746	100.0%	
Of the top ten nationalities by volume of ELICOS students, the majority from Colombia, Japan and Brazil did not progress to any other sector. About three in four Colombian students and two in three students each from Japan and Brazil were ELICOS-only. Similarly, nearly half of ELICOS students from Saudi Arabia and Taiwan did not undertake study in any other sector. Another two in five Thai, Korean and Indian students progressed from ELICOS to VET.
Most students from China, India and Vietnam progressed from ELICOS to higher education. Almost three-quarters of Chinese students, two-thirds of Indian students and two in five Vietnamese students recorded a pathway from ELICOS to higher education. Just under half of Thai students in the cohort progressed from ELICOS to VET. Similarly, two in five students from India and Korea recorded a pathway from ELICOS to VET (Table 3). 
Table 3. Top 10 nationalities and their direct and indirect inter-sector study pathway from ELICOS	
								
 	Inter-sector pathway 	 	Total	
Nationality	ELICOS only	ELICOS-Higher Education	ELICOS-VET	ELICOS-School	ELICOS- Non-award	 		
	Proportion of total for each nationality		Students	
China	8.3%	73.1%	8.2%	6.4%	11.4%	 	15,479	
Brazil	59.7%	2.0%	31.8%	0.1%	6.7%	 	3,982	
Vietnam	24.8%	41.4%	32.8%	4.6%	4.0%	 	3,813	
Republic of Korea 	41.0%	14.0%	40.6%	2.8%	1.6%	 	3,663	
Thailand	40.3%	13.5%	46.2%	1.0%	0.9%	 	3,426	
Colombia	77.2%	6.6%	16.3%	0.0%	0.4%	 	3,099	
Japan	65.5%	7.9%	16.5%	4.5%	5.2%	 	2,851	
India	6.2%	68.7%	41.0%	0.2%	1.2%	 	1,865	
Saudi Arabia	49.5%	38.4%	8.6%	0.0%	6.5%	 	1,627	
Taiwan	47.6%	20.1%	28.3%	3.4%	2.4%	 	1,396	
								
Legend (% of total):	40% to <50%	50% to 70%	> 70%					

								

Study pathways of international students after completing school
There were 5,510 international students aged 17 and over who in 2013 completed school level study in Australia for the first time. Of these students, 32.7 per cent moved immediately to higher education and 9.0 per cent moved immediately to VET.
Table 4 shows the overall flow of students from the Schools sector through to the higher education, VET, ELICOS and Non-award sectors both directly and indirectly. Of the students who completed school study in 2013, 46.7 per cent completed school in 2013 and did not record a pathway to another sector. More than one-third (36.1%) progressed from school to higher education and 11.9 per cent progressed from school through to VET. Smaller proportions progressed from school to either the Non-award or ELICOS sectors (6.9% and 6.5% respectively).
Table 4. Direct and indirect inter-sector study pathways from schools	
Inter-sector pathway*	Students	Share of total		
Total in cohort	5,510	100.0%		
	 	 		
Schools and no further^	2,572	46.7%		
Schools-Higher Education	1,987	36.1%		
Schools-VET	657	11.9%		
Schools-ELICOS	360	6.5%		
Schools-Non-award	378	6.9%		
* the inter-sector pathway of students who recorded study in more than one sector are not mutually exclusive, therefore the individual components do not add to the total.
^ includes 635 students (11.5%) who enrolled in another sector, almost exclusively ELICOS, before Schools and did not move on to another sector after Schools.	
Using the distribution of students with inter-sectoral study pathways from school discussed above, a 10 per cent increase in the number of students who complete school show the number progressing to higher education and to VET increases by about 200 and 60 respectively. A 10 per cent decline of the number of students completing school would mean the number of students progressing to higher education and to VET declines by about 200 and 70 respectively. 
Two in five (39.3%) students who completed school in 2013 had a study pathway that included Schools and one other sector. These were mostly students who completed school and progressed to courses of study in the higher education and VET sectors. A further 23.6 per cent progressed from Schools to two other sectors and 1.9 per cent from Schools to three or more sectors. More than one-third (35.2%) of all students in the cohort enrolled directly into school and did not move on to another sector after school (Table 5).
Table 5. Students in schools: Number of sectors recorded	
Number of sectors	Students	Share of total	
Schools only	1,937	35.2%	
Schools and one other	2,166	39.3%	
Schools and two others	1,301	23.6%	
Schools and three or more others	106	1.9%	
Total	5,510	100.0%	

Of the top ten nationalities by student volumes, almost all students from Italy, Germany and Brazil were school only students. In addition, most school students from Japan did not progress to any other sector. More school students from Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand progressed from school to higher education than any other pathway type. About one-quarter of Vietnamese school students progressed to VET (Table 6).
Table 6. Top 10 nationalities and their direct and indirect inter-sector study pathway from school	
 	Inter-sector pathway 	 	Total	
Nationality	Schools only	Schools-Higher Education	Schools-VET	Schools-ELICOS	Schools- Non-award	 		
	Proportion of total for each nationality		Students	
China	16.6%	50.1%	14.2%	9.9%	9.7%	 	2,572	
Vietnam	17.8%	42.2%	23.4%	10.4%	5.6%	 	538	
Japan	58.6%	6.5%	2.3%	1.0%	0.0%	 	307	
Brazil	97.5%	1.7%	0.8%	0.0%	0.0%	 	238	
Republic of Korea	31.2%	27.0%	11.4%	3.8%	4.2%	 	237	
Germany	98.7%	1.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	 	235	
Italy	99.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.5%	0.0%	 	222	
Hong Kong	15.0%	50.0%	13.1%	3.7%	15.0%	 	214	
Malaysia	20.9%	57.5%	11.2%	1.5%	11.2%	 	134	
Thailand	21.3%	29.8%	17.0%	8.5%	5.3%	 	94	
								
Legend (% of total):	40% to <50%	50% to 70%	> 70%					

Study pathways of international students before commencing higher education
In 2014, there were 81,164 international students who commenced a higher education course of study in Australia for the first time.  Of this cohort, the largest share commenced study in higher education without prior study in any other sector (53.9%). Under one-third (29.4%) undertook study in ELICOS immediately before commencing in higher education, 6.6 per cent in VET, 7.1 per cent in non-award study and 3.0 per cent in school.
Inter-sector study pathways to higher education
Table 7 below shows the overall flow of students from the other educational sectors through to the higher education sector both directly and indirectly. Of the students who commenced a higher education course of study in 2014, 35.6 per cent recorded some prior study in ELICOS. Similar proportions recorded prior study in VET and in non-award courses (7.6% and 7.8% respectively) and 4.2 per cent in school. 
Table 7. Direct and indirect Inter-sector study pathways to higher education	
Inter-sector pathway*	Students	Share of total				
Total in cohort	81,164	100.0%				
	 	 				
Higher Education^	43,710	53.9%				
ELICOS-Higher Education	28,887	35.6%				
VET-Higher Education	6,195	7.6%				
Non-award-Higher Education	6,309	7.8%				
Schools-Higher Education	3,410	4.2%				
* the inter-sector pathway of students who recorded study in more than one sector are not
mutually exclusive, therefore the individual components do not add to the total.
^ includes 721 students (0.9%) who first commenced in higher education and moved to another
 sector in 2014.	
Using the distribution of students with inter-sectoral study pathways to higher education discussed above, a 10 per cent increase in the number of students who complete ELICOS show the number progressing to higher education increases by about 2,900 and a 10 per cent increase in the number of students who complete school would mean the number progressing to higher education increases by about 340. 
A 10 per cent decline in the number of students who complete ELICOS show the number progressing to higher education will decrease by about 2,900 on 2014 figures and a 10 per cent decline in the number of students who complete school would mean the number progressing to higher education will decrease by about 340.
Of the students who commenced in higher education in 2014, 38.1 per cent progressed to higher education from one other sector of study. These were mostly students who completed ELICOS study before moving into a higher education course of study. A further 8.0 per cent progressed through two other sectors before commencing in higher education and 1.0 per cent through three sectors before commencing in higher education. Most students (53.0%) in this cohort enrolled directly to the higher education sector (Table 8).
Table 8. Students in higher education: Number of sectors recorded	
Number of sectors	Students	Share of total	
Higher Education only	42,989	53.0%	
Higher Education and one other	30,892	38.1%	
Higher Education and two others	6,503	8.0%	
Higher Education and three or more others	780	1.0%	
Total	81,164	100.0%	
Of the students from the top ten nationalities by volumes of students who commenced in higher education, four in five students from Malaysia and Singapore enrolled directly to higher education and did not progress from another sector. More students from India, Indonesia, Nepal and Pakistan enrolled directly to higher education than any other pathway. The majority of students from China, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea recorded prior study in ELICOS before commencing in higher education than any other pathway type (Table 9).
Table 9. Top 10 nationalities and their direct and indirect inter-sector study pathway to higher education	
 	Inter-sector pathway 	 	Total	
Nationality	Higher Education only	ELICOS-Higher Education	VET-Higher Education	Non-award -Higher Education	Schools-Higher Education	 		
	Proportion of total for each nationality		Students	
China	34.8%	54.9%	4.2%	11.8%	7.3%	 	26,694	
India	69.9%	23.1%	4.8%	0.6%	0.1%	 	13,277	
Malaysia	81.1%	2.3%	4.9%	10.6%	3.5%	 	4,067	
Nepal	63.5%	20.8%	10.5%	4.6%	0.1%	 	3,812	
Vietnam	32.1%	57.4%	9.6%	6.8%	8.9%	 	3,746	
Pakistan	58.8%	27.5%	15.2%	0.9%	0.0%	 	2,963	
Indonesia	65.0%	15.4%	12.6%	12.7%	2.4%	 	2,254	
Singapore	85.6%	0.3%	2.8%	10.5%	1.5%	 	1,916	
Hong Kong	41.7%	27.2%	14.9%	22.3%	13.8%	 	1,781	
Republic of Korea	29.7%	50.6%	18.9%	9.9%	17.2%	 	1,456	
								
Legend (% of total):	40% to <50%	50% to 70%	> 70%					

Pathways to Bachelor Degree
In 2014, there were 38,307 students who commenced a Bachelor Degree course in the higher education sector for the first time.  The chart shows the sectors in which this cohort of students was enrolled immediately prior to moving to the higher education sector. The largest share commenced study in higher education without prior study in any other sector (44.2%). About one-quarter (24.6%) undertook study in ELICOS immediately before commencing in higher education, 12.2 per cent in VET, 13.0 per cent in non-award study and 5.9 per cent in school.
Table 10 below shows the direct and indirect inter-sectoral flows of the students who commenced a Bachelor Degree course in 2014. Of these students, 36.6 per cent recorded some prior study in ELICOS, 14.8 per cent recorded prior study in VET, 14.2 per cent in non-award courses and 8.4 per cent in school. 
Table 10. Direct and indirect sector pathway flow of Bachelor Degree students to higher education	
Inter-sector pathway*	Number	Share of total	
Total in cohort	38,307	100.0%	
	 	 	
Higher education	16,937	44.2%	
ELICOS-Higher Education	14,009	36.6%	
VET-Higher Education	5,685	14.8%	
Non-award-Higher Education	5,434	14.2%	
Schools-Higher Education	3,213	8.4%	
* the inter-sector pathway of students who recorded study in more than one sector are not mutually exclusive, therefore the individual components do not add to the total.	
Over one-third (37.5%) of Bachelor Degree students commenced their course of study without any prior study at another level in Australia. Of those students with a pathway through more than one level of study, 44.6 per cent recorded some prior study at the non-award level, most of this was in ELICOS; and 27.2 per cent had some prior study at the Diploma level. Smaller proportions of Bachelor Degree students recorded a pathway from school (7.9%) or Certificate IV (5.5%) (Table 11).
Table 11. Main direct and indirect level of study pathway flow of students to Bachelor Degree	
Level of study pathway*	Number	Share of total				
Total in cohort	38,307	100.0%				
	 	 				
Bachelor Degree only	14,349	37.5%				
Diploma-Bachelor Degree	10,427	27.2%				
Advanced Diploma-Bachelor Degree	3,833	10.0%				
Certificate IV-Bachelor Degree	2,092	5.5%				
Senior Secondary Schools-Bachelor Degree	3,019	7.9%				
Non-award-Bachelor Degree	17,095	44.6%				
* the study pathway of students through the different levels of study are not mutually exclusive, therefore the individual components do not add to the total.	

Pathways to Postgraduate Research level
In 2014, there were 4,541 students who commenced at the Postgraduate Research level for the first time. The chart shows the sector in which this cohort of students was enrolled immediately prior to first commencing in higher education. Nearly four in five (78.0%) Postgraduate Research students commenced study in higher education without prior study in any other sector. The second largest group of students recorded a period of study in ELICOS immediately before commencing in higher education (17.0%). Only small numbers had progressed from non-award study, school and VET. 
Table 12 below shows the direct and indirect inter-sectoral flows of the students who commenced at the Postgraduate Research level in 2014. Of these students, four in five (78.0%) recorded study in Higher Education only, 18.5 per cent recorded prior study in ELICOS, 3.7 per cent in non-award courses and 1.2 per cent in VET. Few recorded a pathway from the Schools sector (0.8%). 
Table 12. Direct and indirect pathway flow of Postgraduate Research students to higher education	
Inter-sector pathway*	Number	Share of total				
Total in cohort	4,541	100.0%				
	 	 				
Higher Education	3,543	78.0%				
ELICOS-Higher Education	840	18.5%				
VET-Higher Education	56	1.2%				
Non-award-Higher Education	167	3.7%				
Schools-Higher Education	37	0.8%				
* the inter-sector pathway of students who recorded study in more than one sector are not mutually exclusive, therefore the individual components do not add to the total.	
Two-thirds (67.4%) of Postgraduate Research students commenced their course without any prior study in Australia. Of those students with a pathway through a prior level of study before Postgraduate Research study in Australia, 21.2 per cent recorded non-award study, mostly in ELICOS; 13.3 per cent were at Masters by coursework level; and 9.6 per cent at Bachelor degree level (Table 13).
Table 13. Main direct and indirect level of study pathway flow of students to
 Postgraduate Research level	
Level of study pathway*	Number	Share of total					
Total in cohort	4,541	100.0%					
	 	 					
Postgraduate Research only	3,061	67.4%					
Bachelor Degree-Postgraduate Research	437	9.6%					
Masters Coursework-Postgraduate Research	604	13.3%					
Non-award-Postgraduate Research	964	21.2%					
* the main pathways of students through the different levels of study are not mutually exclusive, therefore the individual components do not add to the total.		

Study pathways of international students before commencing VET
In 2014, 45,634 international students commenced a VET course of study in Australia for the first time.  Of this cohort, 36.0 per cent undertook some study in ELICOS immediately before commencing in VET, 15.7 per cent in higher education immediately before VET and 1.4 per cent each in school and non-award study in the non-award sector. 
Table 14 below shows the overall flow of students from the other educational sectors through to the VET sector, both directly and indirectly. Most students in the cohort enrolled directly in a VET course of study in 2014 (46.0%). Of the remainder who undertook some prior study, 44.4 per cent were in ELICOS.  A further 16.9 per cent recorded some higher education study prior to commencing in VET, 3.3 per cent in school and 3.2 per cent in the non-award sector. 
Table 14. Direct and indirect Inter-sector study pathways to VET		
Inter-sector pathway*	Students	Share of total		
Total in cohort	45,634	100.0%		
	 	 		
VET^	20,730	46.0%		
ELICOS-VET	20,266	44.4%		
Higher Education-VET	7,703	16.9%		
Non-award-VET	1,469	3.2%		
Schools-VET	1,516	3.3%		
* the inter-sector pathway of students who recorded study in more than one sector are not mutually exclusive, therefore the individual components do not add to the total.
^ includes 140 students (0.3%) who first commenced in VET and moved to another sector in 2014.	
Using the distribution of students with inter-sectoral study pathways to VET discussed above, a 10 per cent increase in the number of students who complete ELICOS would mean the number progressing to VET increases by about 2,020 and a 10 per cent increase in the number of students who complete school show the number progressing to VET increases by about 140.
A 10 per cent decline on 2014 figures in the number of students who complete ELICOS show the number progressing to VET will decrease by about 2,030 and a 10 per cent decline in the number of students who complete school would mean the number progressing to VET will decrease by about 160.
Of the students who commenced a VET course in 2014, 42.7 per cent progressed to VET from one other sector of study. These were mostly students who completed ELICOS study before moving into a VET course of study. A further 10.2 per cent progressed through two other sectors before commencing in VET and 2.0 per cent progressed through three or more sectors before commencing in VET.  The largest share of students (45.1%) in this cohort enrolled directly to VET without prior study in any other sector (Table 15).
Table 15. Students in VET: Number of sectors recorded	
Number of sectors	Students	Share of total	
VET only	20,590	45.1%	
VET and one other	19,489	42.7%	
VET and two others	4,661	10.2%	
VET and three or more others	894	2.0%	
Total	45,634	100.0%	

Of the top ten nationalities by volumes of students who commenced VET in 2014, larger proportions from Thailand, Brazil, Vietnam and China recorded some study in ELICOS prior to commencing in VET than any other pathway type. More students from the Philippines, Malaysia, Nepal and Indonesia enrolled directly to a VET course without any prior study in another sector. High proportions of Chinese, Nepalese and Indian VET students undertook prior study in higher education before moving to VET (Table 16).
Table 16. Top 10 nationalities and their direct and indirect inter-sector study pathway to VET	
 	Inter-sector pathway 	 	Total	
Nationality	VET only	ELICOS-VET	Higher Education-VET	Non-award-VET	Schools-VET	 		
	Proportion of total for each nationality		Students	
India	48.3%	30.1%	28.0%	1.3%	0.2%	 	6,729	
China	12.9%	69.5%	57.6%	13.9%	19.3%	 	4,758	
Republic of Korea	49.8%	46.2%	4.7%	1.3%	2.8%	 	3,815	
Thailand	7.1%	91.9%	4.9%	0.1%	0.8%	 	2,519	
Vietnam	15.9%	77.0%	23.1%	3.1%	8.4%	 	2,172	
Brazil	17.5%	81.6%	0.7%	0.4%	0.2%	 	1,971	
Nepal	52.5%	15.3%	32.6%	5.2%	0.1%	 	1,850	
Malaysia	65.5%	23.3%	8.3%	2.3%	1.8%	 	1,703	
Philippines	75.0%	10.2%	10.3%	7.9%	0.2%	 	1,605	
Indonesia	50.5%	42.8%	7.6%	2.4%	1.2%	 	1,532	
								
Legend (% of total):	40% to <50%	50% to 70%	> 70%					

Appendix 1:  Methodology
The data used in the analysis for this paper are based on information from the Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS), the source of the federal Department of Education and Training’s International Student Data series. As such, it is limited to international students studying in Australia on a student visa only.  
This paper examines the study pathways of four separate cohorts of international students.
The first cohort was the students who completed a course of study in the Australian ELICOS sector for the first time in the year 2013. The analysis was focused on the sector to which students moved to immediately after their ELICOS study was completed and the study pathways they undertook from the sector in the period through to the end of 2014.
The second cohort examined were the students aged 17 years and over who completed a course of study in the Schools sector for the first time in the year 2013. The cohort was age limited to ensure that the results of this analysis were not influenced by those school students who come to Australia only on short term study exchanges. As with the earlier discussion on students who completed ELICOS study, the analysis of the cohort of school students highlights the sectors to which students moved to immediately after their school study was completed and the study pathways undertaken by the cohort through to the end of the following year.
The third and fourth cohorts were the students who commenced study in the higher education and the VET sectors respectively for the first time in the year 2014. The analysis highlights their study pathway prior to their commencement in higher education or VET sectors in that year.
The analysis of the cohort who commenced in higher education was additionally extended to students commencing a Bachelor Degree and to those commencing at Postgraduate Research level in 2014. The levels of study pathways of these students are also highlighted.
Readers should note that for the purposes of this research paper, a period of study in a particular sector or at a particular level signifies a student has undertaken a course of study in the sector or level. It does not necessarily indicate they have completed or been awarded a qualification for that course.

Appendix 2:  Main study pathways
Table A2.1. Top 20 sector pathways of students who completed ELICOS in 2013	
Sector pathway	Students	Share of total	
ELICOS	18,947	34.0%	
ELICOS-Higher Education	16,464	29.5%	
ELICOS-VET	10,619	19.0%	
ELICOS-Non-award	1,651	3.0%	
ELICOS-Schools	1,507	2.7%	
ELICOS-Non-award-Higher Education	916	1.6%	
ELICOS-Higher Education-VET	890	1.6%	
ELICOS-VET-Higher Education	548	1.0%	
ELICOS-VET-ELICOS	530	1.0%	
VET-ELICOS-VET	388	0.7%	
VET-ELICOS-Higher Education	310	0.6%	
ELICOS-VET-ELICOS-VET	274	0.5%	
VET-ELICOS	244	0.4%	
ELICOS-Higher Education-ELICOS	237	0.4%	
Higher Education-ELICOS	191	0.3%	
VET-Higher Education-ELICOS	168	0.3%	
Higher Education-ELICOS-Higher Education	167	0.3%	
VET-Higher Education-ELICOS-Higher Education	133	0.2%	
ELICOS-Non-award-ELICOS	96	0.2%	
ELICOS-Higher Education-ELICOS-VET	86	0.2%	
Other pathways	1,380	2.5%	
Total all pathways from ELICOS	55,746	100.0%	

Table A2.2. Top 20 sector pathways of students who completed Schools in 2013	
Sector pathway	Students	Share of total	
Schools	1,937	35.2%	
Schools-Higher Education	1,084	19.7%	
ELICOS-Schools-Higher Education	664	12.1%	
ELICOS-Schools	607	11.0%	
Schools-VET	217	3.9%	
ELICOS-Schools-VET	209	3.8%	
Schools-Non-award	145	2.6%	
ELICOS-Schools-Non-award	91	1.7%	
Schools-ELICOS	55	1.0%	
ELICOS-Schools-ELICOS-VET	51	0.9%	
Schools-ELICOS-Higher Education	42	0.8%	
Schools-ELICOS-VET	39	0.7%	
Schools-Non-award-Higher Education	32	0.6%	
ELICOS-Schools-ELICOS	28	0.5%	
ELICOS-Schools-ELICOS-Higher Education	27	0.5%	
ELICOS-Schools-Non-award-Higher Education	26	0.5%	
Non-award-Schools	25	0.5%	
Schools-ELICOS-Non-award	23	0.4%	
Schools-VET-Higher Education	18	0.3%	
Schools-Higher Education-VET	17	0.3%	
Other pathways	173	3.1%	
Total all pathways from Schools	5,510	100.0%	

Table A2.3. Top 20 sector pathways of students who commenced higher education in 2014	
Sector pathway	Students	Share of total	
Higher Education	42,989	53.0%	
ELICOS-Higher Education	21,944	27.0%	
Non-award-Higher Education	3,668	4.5%	
VET-Higher Education	2,763	3.4%	
ELICOS-VET-Higher Education	1,687	2.1%	
ELICOS-Non-award-Higher Education	1,661	2.0%	
Schools-Higher Education	1,421	1.8%	
ELICOS-Schools-Higher Education	888	1.1%	
Higher Education-VET	693	0.9%	
ELICOS-Higher Education-VET	436	0.5%	
ELICOS-VET-ELICOS-Higher Education	327	0.4%	
VET-ELICOS-Higher Education	325	0.4%	
ELICOS-Schools-VET-Higher Education	187	0.2%	
ELICOS-Higher Education-ELICOS	176	0.2%	
Schools-Non-award-Higher Education	170	0.2%	
Schools-VET-Higher Education	149	0.2%	
ELICOS-Schools-Non-award-Higher Education	149	0.2%	
Higher Education-ELICOS	131	0.2%	
ELICOS-Non-award-ELICOS-Higher Education	111	0.1%	
Non-award-ELICOS-Higher Education	94	0.1%	
Other pathways	1,195	1.5%	
Total all pathways to Higher Education	81,164	100.0%	

Table A2.4. Top 20 level of study pathways by Bachelor Degree students, 2014	 	 	
Level of study pathway	Students	Share of total	
Bachelor Degree	14,349	37.5%	
Non Award-Bachelor Degree	9,212	24.0%	
Non Award-Diploma-Bachelor Degree	2,943	7.7%	
Diploma-Bachelor Degree	2,420	6.3%	
Senior Secondary Certificate of Education-Bachelor Degree	781	2.0%	
Certificate IV-Bachelor Degree	569	1.5%	
Certificate IV-Diploma-Bachelor Degree	534	1.4%	
Non Award-Senior Secondary Certificate of Education-Bachelor Degree	514	1.3%	
Non Award-Certificate IV-Diploma-Bachelor Degree	364	1.0%	
Non Award-Diploma-Advanced Diploma-Bachelor Degree	195	0.5%	
Advanced Diploma-Bachelor Degree	187	0.5%	
Non Award-Senior Secondary Certificate of Education-Diploma-Bachelor Degree	181	0.5%	
Senior Secondary Certificate of Education-Diploma-Bachelor Degree	177	0.5%	
Diploma-Advanced Diploma-Bachelor Degree	166	0.4%	
Non Award-Certificate IV-Bachelor Degree	146	0.4%	
Non Award-Advanced Diploma-Bachelor Degree	137	0.4%	
Junior Secondary Studies-Senior Secondary Certificate of Education-Bachelor Degree	137	0.4%	
Certificate IV-Diploma-Advanced Diploma-Bachelor Degree	131	0.3%	
Non Award-Diploma-Associate Degree-Bachelor Degree	130	0.3%	
Non Award-Junior Secondary Studies-Senior Secondary Certificate of Education-Bachelor Degree	126	0.3%	
Other level of study pathways	4,908	12.8%	
Total Bachelor Degree students	38,307	100.0%	

Table A2.5. Top 20 level of study pathways to Postgraduate Research level, 2014	 	 	
Level of study pathway	Students	Share of total	
Doctoral Degree	2,806	61.8%	
Non Award-Doctoral Degree	412	9.1%	
Masters Degree (Research)	255	5.6%	
Non Award-Masters Degree (Coursework)-Doctoral Degree	173	3.8%	
Masters Degree (Coursework)-Doctoral Degree	169	3.7%	
Bachelor Degree-Doctoral Degree	148	3.3%	
Non Award-Bachelor Degree-Doctoral Degree	83	1.8%	
Non Award-Masters Degree (Research)	65	1.4%	
Masters Degree (Coursework)-Masters Degree (Research)	48	1.1%	
Non Award-Masters Degree (Coursework)-Masters Degree (Research)	34	0.7%	
Bachelor Degree-Masters Degree (Research)	27	0.6%	
Non Award-Bachelor Degree-Masters Degree (Coursework)-Doctoral Degree	25	0.6%	
Bachelor Degree-Masters Degree (Coursework)-Doctoral Degree	21	0.5%	
Non Award-Bachelor Degree-Masters Degree (Research)	18	0.4%	
Non Award-Bachelor Degree-Masters Degree (Coursework)-Masters Degree (Research)	13	0.3%	
Non Award-Masters Degree (Coursework)-Non Award-Doctoral Degree	13	0.3%	
Non Award-Senior Secondary Certificate of Education-Bachelor Degree-Doctoral Degree	10	0.2%	
Senior Secondary Certificate of Education-Bachelor Degree-Doctoral Degree	10	0.2%	
Diploma-Bachelor Degree-Doctoral Degree	9	0.2%	
Non Award-Diploma-Bachelor Degree-Doctoral Degree	7	0.2%	
Other levels of study pathways	195	4.3%	
Total Postgraduate Research students	4,541	100.0%	

Table A2.6. Top 20 sector pathways of students who commenced VET in 2014	
Sector pathway	Students	Share of total	
VET	20,590	45.1%	
ELICOS-VET	14,776	32.4%	
Higher Education-VET	3,034	6.6%	
ELICOS-Higher Education-VET	2,759	6.0%	
Non-award-VET	422	0.9%	
ELICOS-VET-ELICOS	381	0.8%	
Schools-VET	311	0.7%	
ELICOS-Schools-VET	280	0.6%	
ELICOS-Higher Education-ELICOS-VET	267	0.6%	
Non-award-Higher Education-VET	253	0.6%	
VET-ELICOS	252	0.6%	
ELICOS-Schools-Higher Education-VET	243	0.5%	
ELICOS-Non-award-Higher Education-VET	240	0.5%	
Schools-Higher Education-VET	196	0.4%	
Higher Education-ELICOS-VET	166	0.4%	
ELICOS-Non-award-VET	129	0.3%	
VET-Higher Education	128	0.3%	
ELICOS-VET-Higher Education	119	0.3%	
ELICOS-VET-ELICOS-VET	93	0.2%	
Schools-ELICOS-VET	68	0.1%	
Other pathways	927	2.0%	
Total all pathways to VET	45,634	100.0%