Students bring export dollars

Tuesday, 8 August, 2000 - 22:00
WA’s four public universities are standout performers in relation to export earnings, according to a Business-Higher Education Round Table report.

Together, they accounted for more than $109 million – almost 15 per cent – of the $726.7 million earned by the sector in international student fees.

Curtin University pulled in more than $60 million from this source, followed by the University of Western Australia ($21.6 million), Edith Cowan ($15.9 million) and Murdoch University with $11.1 million.

Curtin also reported the third highest number of international students in the country.

The BHERT study was based on 1998 figures and did not break down its results on a State by State basis.

In a report released earlier this year and largely overlooked until now, WA’s Auditor General filled this gap.

According to the Auditor General’s report, WA public universities are now worth more than $2 billion and have a total annual turnover of more than $880 million.

If the State’s 11 TAFE colleges are added, the figures jump to almost $2.4 billion and more than $1.1 billion respectively.

This still does not take into account WA’s private university, Notre Dame, or the 122 private training providers of vocational education and training courses in the State.

“The public universities and (TAFE) colleges provided education and training to more than 156,000 students (67,000 university students and 89,000 TAFE students) and employed some 11,600 staff in 1999,” the Auditor General’s report said.

“State Government funding totalled $246 million (universities $31 million and colleges $215 million).

“Revenue from other sources, including funding received directly from the Commonwealth totalled $928 million (universities $850 million and colleges $78 million).”