News and Opportunities
Strong interest in study in Australia at Dawn Education Expo 2013
12 Mar 2013
Dawn Expo, an annual six-day event held in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, featured an Austrade-hosted Future Unlimited booth with seven Australian institutions. There was strong interest in Australia, particularly as a result of changed UK student visa rules.
Around 10 000 students and parents attended the expo across all three cities, with Karachi attracting the largest volume of visitors. Approximately 30 per cent of visitors visited the Future Unlimited booth to access information from Australian institutions.
Common questions from visitors were around the advantages and disadvantages of choosing Australia as a study destination, including:
- life style
- costs
- availability mosques and halal food
- global rankings of Australian institutions
- post-study work experience opportunities
- part-time work opportunities during study
The most popular Australian courses sought by potential students were business management, accounting, IT, engineering, law, medicine, and social sector development.
Australia is perceived as an attractive study destination in Pakistan due to:
- strong economic growth and high standard of living
- attractive post-study work rights, particularly compared to markets such as the UK
- low unemployment in comparison to other developed countries
- recognition that Australia is a multicultural society
- safety and security.
The expo saw interest from private higher education institutions in Pakistan for exploring study pathway models for their students, including qualification recognition. This would allow local institutes to retain their student population while providing students with pathways to offshore study options.
Pakistan is a growing market for foreign education providers. There is a strong awareness and affinity for Australia as a country and education provider due to Pakistan’s large network of Australian alumni occupying key positions in government and business.
Future Unlimited booth, Dawn Education Expo 2013
Australian education booths, Dawn Education Expo 2013
More opportunities and updates from the Pakistan market are available from the Pakistan country page.