AEI student enrolment data are derived from the Provider Registration and International Students Management System (PRISMS) database and counts enrolments by students studying in Australia on a student visa. The data includes commencements and year-to-date counts. It is broken down by nationality, sector, state/territory, field of education and level of study.
International student enrolments in Australia 1994-2011
International student enrolment annual statistics for 1994 to 2011 are summarised in the chart below. This chart should be used for indicative purposes only, as data for the periods 1994–2001 and 2002–2011 are not comparable due to the different sources used to compile the data. Click on the chart to open a printable pdf copy with associated data table.
Note: there have been significant changes in methodology between 2001 and 2002.
1994 to 2001: Data were sourced from the DEEWR Higher Education Statistical Collection, CRICOS, the then Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and AusAID.
From 2002: Onshore student data are derived from the Commonwealth Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS). The data show enrolments across all sectors for all students holding a student visa. These do not cover students on other visas, which in the case of ELICOS, involves a large number of students on tourist visas and, to a lesser extent, working holiday visas. As a general 'rule of thumb', for each ELICOS student on a student visa there is another on a non-student visa. For further information, please see Explanatory notes for AEI International Student Data.
The data do not cover offshore activity where Australian providers supply education services to foreign students overseas or by distance education where the student remains offshore. Data on offshore activity by Australian higher education institutions are available from the Higher Education Statistical Collection. Data on the Delivery of VET Offshore by Public Providers are available to Austrade MIP subscribers.
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Monthly time series of student enrolments for 2011 – summaries by sector
The following tables give a month by month analysis of international student data by sector, including information on enrolments, commencements, finishes and year to date totals. More detailed data are contained in the 2011 Detailed Monthly Tables section below.
Please click on the images below to view the tables individually or a full set of the tables 1–6 (pdf 114KB) are available to download.
| Table 1: All sectors |
Table 2: ELICOS |
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| Table 3: Higher education |
Table 4: VET |
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| Table 5: Schools |
Table 6: Other |
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2011 pivot tables
In an effort to reduce the size of downloads, a subset of the data from 2008 onwards has been created. The full time series from 2002 onwards is available in the indicated links (as larger downloads). AEI advises that the pivot table is compatible with Excel 2003 or later.
To assist you with using the AEI Pivot Tables, please refer to the AEI User Guide (pdf 1.1MB). This manual is intended to provide new users with basic pivot table skills and advice on how to browse the AEI website to locate AEI data and reports.
Please contact AEI if you experience any technical difficulties.
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2011 detailed monthly tables
The detailed monthly tables expand on the information provided in tables one to six. These tables include information on monthly enrolments, commencements and year-to-date data. Monthly data adds new enrolments for the month to the number at the start of month.
Tables 7–12 contain information about each sector by top 10 nationalities and state and territory. These tables count the year-to-date activity up to and including the reference month.
The data in the following tables is updated throughout the year, resulting in some revision to previously published data.
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Explanatory notes
Explanatory notes for AEI enrolment data
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