As Chinese students return to Australia, wooed by in-person classes and financial perks, some remain apprehensive
- Australia has seen the most significant increase in its international student levels since the pandemic began
- Yet, nearly one-third of international students – approximately 120,000 – remain outside Australia
Aisling Li travelled to Melbourne for the first time in February, setting off on a path towards earning her associate’s degree in graphic design at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).
The flight from Li’s hometown in Xiamen, Fujian province, was full – a small sign that Chinese residents were keen on heading back to Australian shores after many had spent considerable time away during the pandemic.
“Studying online would make me feel so sleepy, so I knew if I was going to [continue studying], I wanted to go somewhere that would offer in-person classes,” Li said, noting that RMIT’s reputation also lured her to the programme.
Li previously earned a bachelor’s degree in the United States, but the last year of her studies took place remotely, from her hometown.
“The pandemic had been pretty tough for everybody. Now I think it’s pretty good, because [Melbourne] is not locked down any more. People just can go on the street, buy whatever they want and get back to their normal life,” she said.
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Welcome back! Australia reopens its borders to fully vaccinated travellers after two years
International students have slowly made a return to Australian universities since mid-December, and early data shows that numbers are up by 75,000 since the end of last year, according to the Australian Department of Home Affairs (ADHA).