The latest survey results have been published by the Australian government. This is the most comprehensive and best survey of student attitudes to a higher education in Australia. Ratings and reviews are an increasingly common and valuable part of our decision making process as we are faced with increasing amounts of choice, so this could well be worth a read. Much of it may not be relevant to a student located in Asia wondering whether or not to choose Australia for an undergraduate programme but there are some standout points.
The overall rating or satisfaction with the total educational experience in Australian universities stands at 76% for international students (page 6). This compares with 80% for domestic students. Perhaps this is due to international students having higher expectations as they make a comparatively bigger commitment and often have more riding on the outcome. Perhaps there are issues around the way international students integrate. Perhaps there are certain source groups who are more dissatisfied than others. You can read both positives and negatives from the numbers. But as with all surveys like this, you can use it to guide you in your choices and as part of your research it may help you to frame questions for admissions teams that you what answered before you commit.
From the subject breakdown (pages 9-10) it is interesting to see the highest satisfaction for Medicine and other health related degrees (except Dentistry). Science and Maths are also above 80%. Computing, Engineering and business are all low. If you are trying to decide on an international destination perhaps this helps depending on your area of interest. This is something we discuss with students pretty much every day of the year.
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