fbpx
Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
23rd Mar 2022

Australia and India moving toward mutual recognition of higher education qualifications

Short on time? Here are the highlights:
  • The governments of India and Australia have announced that they are setting up a taskforce to establish a framework for the mutual recognition of qualifications
  • The framework is expected to be in place by 2023
  • The goal is to increase bilateral student mobility and the announcement will increase Australia’s competitiveness in the key Indian market

The governments of Australia and India have agreed to begin work on a new framework for the mutual recognition of higher education qualifications, which will provide Australian educators with an even stronger offer in one of their top sending markets.

Universities Australia Chief Executive Catriona Jackson welcomed the announcement and said that Australian universities will be ready to help the government where needed in the development of the framework. She said:

“India is one of Australia’s key partners in international education, with more than 90,000 Indian higher education students studying in Australia prior to the pandemic. [It] remains our second largest source of international students in 2022, accounting for more than 16% of our student visa holders. This is an important and positive step forward, and Universities Australia looks forward to progress in achieving mutual qualification recognition.”

Ms Jackson expressed her hope that microcredentials will be included in the new framework, noting that “the bite-sized credentials are critical to upskill and reskill, and would be central to India’s push for 29 million more skilled workers by 2030.”

Apart from microcredentials, the mutual recognition of other less traditional forms of education delivery will be part of the work of the Indian-Australian taskforce assigned setting up the framework, including “online and blended learning, joint degrees and offshore campuses.”

The taskforce will use the remainder of 2022 to complete the framework, and by 2023, the system for the bilateral recognition of degrees should be in place.

Two-way mobility

The mutual recognition of degrees by Australia and India is expected not only to boost Indian enrolments in Australian institutions but also encourage Australian students to go to India to complete their degrees. Times Higher Education reports that Pawan Luthra, chief executive of Sydney’s Indian Link newspaper, envisages “graduating engineers [who] might decide to undertake final-year studies at an Indian Institute of Technology, “one of the premier educational institutions in the world.”

Impact on the competitive landscape

The announcement will doubtlessly increase the competitiveness of Australian recruiters in India. Currently, India is most important student market for Canada and the second-most important market for the US and UK after China.

Australia has been rapidly introducing new policies to recapture its market share among leading study abroad destinations, including extending working hours for international students and offering visa application fee refunds during specified periods of time. Tens of thousands of international students have returned to the country since border restrictions were lifted in December 2021.

For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • ICEF Podcast: Together for transparency – Building global standards for ethical international student recruitment Read More
  • New analysis sounds a note of caution for UK immigration reforms Read More
  • The number of students in higher education abroad has more than tripled since the turn of the century Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

New analysis sounds a note of caution for UK immigration reforms Within the UK’s higher education system, there are a group of institutions known as “Post-1992 universities”. The term...
Read more
The number of students in higher education abroad has more than tripled since the turn of the century The latest figures from UNESCO indicate continued strong growth in higher education enrolments globally. From the year 2000,...
Read more
US warns of expanded travel ban that could affect key African markets “The United States is considering restricting entry to citizens of an additional 36 countries in what would be...
Read more
Breaking: US resumes student visa processing On 18 June, the US State Department sent a cable to all US diplomatic posts abroad instructing them...
Read more
Is Canada valued more as a “pathway to immigration” or as a destination for education? During a 12 June 2025 webinar presented by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and IDP, IDP...
Read more
Japanese outbound numbers reached 90% of pre-pandemic levels in 2024 An annual survey of Japanese education agents finds that outbound student numbers from this key sending market are...
Read more
UK: Study visa applications up by nearly a third year to date The early data we are seeing so far this year makes a couple of things clear. First, there...
Read more
Real-time insights on shifting international student interest in the US ICEF and NAFSA co-hosted a featured webinar on 11 June, and the session showcased some important data reflecting...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links