Abstract

An estimated 60,000 international students were enrolled in Australian university transnational education (TNE) programmes in 2008 spanning a range of delivery and learning modes. After a period of no growth in the mid-2000s, student numbers in Australian university TNE are growing again.

Changes to the types of TNE arrangements and number of TNE programmes offered by Australian universities have been accompanied by fluctuations in student enrolments. Over time providers have rationalised their programmes signalling a maturation of Australian university engagement in TNE. The rationalisation process has been underpinned by a range of factors and influences over time.

This paper analyses available data related to Australian TNE and the growth and contraction in enrolments and programmes by delivery mode and host country from the late 1990s through to today. A range of interpretations of the factors and influences underlying these trends are usefully illustrated in a case study of one of Australia’s largest TNE providers.