International Students - Survey Results

Source: City of Melbourne

In 2008, 1,686 international students took part in the City of Melbourne’s International Student Online Survey, providing valuable information that can be used by government, researchers and educational institutions to understand the health and wellbeing needs of international students.

The survey was conducted online from 20 October to 30 November. The survey was open to all international students aged 15 and above. Evaluation Solutions, an independent survey and research company, was engaged to conduct the survey. The City of Melbourne’s previous survey of international students took place in 2006.

Key findings from the report include:

Country of origin
Respondents from China made up the largest representation of respondents, followed by India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. There was a large increase in the number of respondents from South Central Asia in 2008 (21.1%), compared to 2006 (8.5%).

Choice of place to study
Sixty seven per cent of international students indicated that Australia was their first choice as a place to study, and 84% indicated that Melbourne was their first choice of place to study in Australia.

Educational Institution
A large majority (81%) of respondents were from public tertiary education providers, with the remainder being from smaller private providers.

Health and Wellbeing
Over eighty percent of international students rated their general physical health as good, very good or excellent and 69% reported being happy or very happy with their life as a whole since arriving in Melbourne.

Employment
Just over 50% of respondents reported they were not currently working. Of those who were working, 44% reported working between 15 and 20 hours per week.

Accommodation
The majority of students were living in private rental accommodation (67%), with 9% living in “off campus accommodation” and 7% in a relative’s home. Just under half were paying between $100 - $199 rent per week; and 20% were paying $300 per week or more.

Social engagement and community participation
Many international students reported having had the chance to take part in social activities, with markets, free events in the city and religious events topping the list. A large majority felt that people living in Melbourne were accepting of people from other cultures and religions (87% and 91% respectively).

Factors influencing decision to study in Melbourne

The top five factors were:

1. The academic reputation of current educational institution
2. A safe place to live
3. Information about universities in Melbourne
4. Lifestyle and culture
5. Job opportunities after graduation

Melbourne as a place to study and live

Seventy six per cent of respondents said Melbourne was a good or excellent place to live.

The five highest rated aspects of studying and living in Melbourne were:

1. Diversity of restaurants and food outlets
2. Cafes and entertainment
3. Cultural diversity
4. Quality of education
5. Range of free entertainment (eg.Moomba Festival, New Year’s Eve, free concerts at Federation Square)

The five lowest rated aspects of studying and living in Melbourne were:

1. Cost of public transport
2. Affordability of accommodation
3. Ease of finding accommodation
4. Ability to connect to the job market in Melbourne
5. Affordability of living (eg cost of food, goods and services)