Asian Migrants Attend University at Twice the Rate of Aussies, According to The ABS

Immigration News

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that just over one-third of English-speaking residents born in Australia end up going to university. The stats also show that 80% of children of migrants from several southern and eastern Asian counties attend uni, as reported by the Australian Financial Review this week.

These Stats Should Not Come as a Surprise

This makes sense for descendants of skilled work migrants. Their parents had to study and work hard to get to Australia, and the kids followed their work ethic. As the parents have worked hard to get where they are, it makes sense that they have similar dreams for their kids. It also leads to more permanent resident migrants seeking citizenship so the new generation can take advantage of Federally funded student loans. It is also worth noting that many of these origin countries have cultures that have high regard for education.

State Governments are Pushing for Skilled Migrants from Targeted Countries

State governments have been pushing their universities to appeal to skilled migrants, particularly in high-demand digital and engineering areas, to help with future innovation. NSW and Victoria Governments especially are actively seeking more highly educated migrant workers from India in the hope that their highly educated children will also enter and boost their respective economies.

Which Languages Have The Highest Education Rates in Australia?

Indian migrants speaking Malayalam, Tamil (also from Sri Lanka), and Gujarati have children that attend uni at a rate of over 80%, as do speakers of Sinhalese (Sri Lanka) and Bengali (Bangladesh). Two-thirds of migrant children from Korea, China, Vietnam, Japan, and the Philippines study for a degree.

Also, interesting to see that 50% of migrant children from Arabic and African-speaking countries go to uni. While many migrants obtained residency through the humanitarian pathway, some still arrive with tertiary education or highly desirable trade skills.

Overall, nearly 60% of migrants who arrived between 2001 and 2010 will go to university, which helps boost the Australian university participation rate for young people in Australia.

English-speaking Australians study at uni at a rate of 35%. The only region with a rate lower than this is the Pacific Island region, with only 24% going on to higher education.

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