QMTH104: Expenditure Trends of International Students in Australia

This report investigates the expenditure trends of international students in Australia, aiming to inform students and businesses about financial habits. It highlights the importance of understanding spending patterns, especially for those far from home, and suggests potential areas for financial improvement. The literature review emphasizes the significant contribution of international students to the Australian economy, particularly in higher education, tourism, and entertainment. The report discusses the impact of visa restrictions, the diversity of courses offered, and the positive effects on various sectors. It also touches upon the competitive landscape for international students among developed countries and the importance of the education system. The report includes references to relevant sources, providing a comprehensive overview of the topic. This report helps students and businesses by providing crucial information about the expenditure trends of international students in Australia, thereby assisting in making informed financial decisions and business strategies.

Introduction
The main aim of this study was to establish the current trends in expenditure among international
students in Australia. This is very important for it can help in developing the various
sensitization measures on expenditure among students. It is very important to check on your
expenditure every once in a while especially when you are far away from home since being
broke can lead to one doing very unpleasant things just to make ends meet.
After the study is done, relevant students will get the chance of checking on what they mostly
spend on. It will then be advisable to drop all that is crippling the students financially so that they
may put more effort into bettering their education while abroad.
The business group will also have a chance to place their priorities right. They will get the
opportunity to know where to invest their money in as far as what is trending is concerned. The
government should also keep up with the good work of bettering education system so that the
country attracts more students to the country.
Literature review
Higher education is one of the backbones of the Australian economy. The country has invested a
lot in making sure that it provides students from different parts of the world with quality
education. By so doing, the country’s economy is growing significantly and the Australian dollar
gaining value in return.
Visa restriction is one of the diplomatic ways of controlling immigration to a particular country.
Fewer Visa restrictions in Australia has significantly aided the education industry in acquiring a
large number of international students. It is logical to note that people tend to travel to countries
with fewer Visa restrictions as compared to those countries with a lot of visa restriction (Maringe
& Carter , 2017).

There is a large number of international students in Australia whose presence is generating
billions of dollars every financial year for the national treasury (Rhee & Sagaria, 2004). This has
been made possible by the expensive nature of education that is why the Australian government
is doing its level best to provide these students with quality and credible education. Furthermore,
most parents and guardians globally prefer equipping their children with education as a tool to
tackle life challenges.
The education system of Australia is diverse thus inviting many scholars annually as they offer a
wide variety of credible courses. International students are therefore well spread in the various
cities in Australia pursuing a wide variety of courses in different universities. This even
distribution of student is a tactical way of making sure that different economic sectors benefit
evenly.
The presence of international students in Australia has positively affected various sectors of the
economy in the country. Tourism, for example, is exemplarily flourishing as students from far
and wide come to have a glance at the beauty of this country from wildlife to nature and even
landmarks (Phillimore & Koshy, 2010). This sector is not only enjoyed by students but also by
friends and family of the students who come to visit their loved once from time to time.
The entertainment sector has had the lion share since most of the students are youths who have a
great passion for entertainment (Jenny Lee, et al., 2016). These students make sure that they
make the most of their time while in the country. Sports and entertainment sector is earning
dearly from these students. This can be well illustrated by the fact that most stadiums are usually
packed to capacity over the weekends as students spend their free time watching the beautiful
game of football, rugby, basketball, tennis just to name but a few. The clubs are usually full as

well during the weekend. The entertainment sector is, therefore, pumping a substantial amount of
money to the economy on a daily basis.
These students also need to move from one place to another hence the transport sector comes in
handy. The presence of these students has led to the significant growth of the transport sector
over the years. This explains the development of the state of the art infrastructure in different
cities of the country.
On top of all these, the clothing industry is doing great as these students pull most of their
resources towards clothing. Most of them are at the point in time where hoe they present
themselves to others really means a lot to them. They are therefore going for the latest design and
fashion regularly. Food and housing industry are also doing very good for these two are the very
basic need for any student so they are consumed largely.
Various countries are currently fighting for their share in this particular market. Competition for
international students is very stiff since the economic importance of international students to a
particular country has been realized to be of great importance to a country’s development in
various sectors (Hazelkorn, 2009). The developed countries, in particular, are the main
competitors for this market, the USA to be precise.

References
Anon., n.d. s.l.: s.n.
Hazelkorn, E., 2009. OECDiLibrary. [Online]
Available at: https://doi.org/10.1787/hemp-v21-art4-en
[Accessed 18 9 2019].
Jenny Lee, Jon, . J.-E. & Byun, . K., 2016. Neo-Racism and Neo-Nationalism Within East Asia: The
Experiences of International Students in South Korea. Journal of Studies in International Education,
21(2), pp. 136-155.
Maringe, F. & Carter , S., 2017. International students' motivations for studying in UK HE, Bingley:
Emarald Publishing limited.
Phillimore, J. & Koshy, P., 2010. The Economic Implication of Fewer international Students in australia,
Perth: Curtin University.
Rhee, J.-e. & Sagaria, . M. A. D., 2004. International Students: Constructions of Imperialism in the
Chronicle of Higher Education. The Review of Higher Education, 28(1), pp. pp. 77-96.