CISaustralia has released its 2024 Learning Abroad Industry Survey. The survey aims to support Australian university administrative and academic staff with strategic planning and program development in Learning Abroad for 2025.
As part of CISaustralia’s commitment to fostering growth and collaboration within the Learning Abroad sector, the 7th annual survey presents comprehensive insights into sector trends, challenges, and opportunities—data that has been instrumental for Australian universities in shaping their Learning Abroad strategies.
Since its inception in 2020, the CISaustralia industry survey has evolved beyond its initial focus on the impact of COVID-19, delivering valuable ongoing insights that advance knowledge across Australian institutions. The Learning Abroad survey continues to provide a robust benchmark for Learning Abroad programs across the nation, enabling universities to align with current trends, enhance program engagement, and address challenges that impact program participation.
Key insights from the 2024 report are:
- Sector Growth and Enrolment Trends
- Enrolments in 2023 (31,729) mirror numbers last seen in 2014 (10 years earlier), indicating a sector still grappling to recover from COVID.
- Only 16% of all Australian Universities in 2024 will be at 100% or better Learning Abroad enrolments, compared to 2019 (pre-COVID).
- Projected Learning Abroad enrolments in 2024 are anticipated to reach 33,975 – a very modest growth outlook.
- An increase of 20% in enrolments is expected in 2025, primarily driven by 11 universities representing 75% of the sector growth. *Important note: 2025 projected data was collated prior to the 2025 NCP Guideline announcement (and subsequent amendments) now requiring a min 4 week in country program duration.
- Diversity and Academic Engagement
- Indigenous student participation remains low, with the majority of Australian Universities supporting 1-25 indigenous students abroad in 2024. 67% of universities project Indigenous participation in their 2024 programs.
- 75% of students in 2024 are expected to gain academic credit for their Learning Abroad experience.
- The majority of universities (67%) identified limited engagement from academic staff as the number one critical barrier to Learning Abroad growth in 2024, an increase of 11% from 2023.
- Program Preferences and Destinations
- Study tours are the dominant program choice (92%), while group volunteering (WIL) and experiential learning for academic credit present significant growth opportunities.
- Europe remains the leading destination for 2025, favoured by 86% of respondents, followed by Asia (80%). New Colombo Plan (NCP) funding will be focused on Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Fiji.
- Environmental and Institutional Policies
- Environmental policy integration into Learning Abroad or institutional policy is limited. Only 2 Universities in Australia have an Environmental travel related policy. 45% of institutions have Learning Abroad strategies that align with UNSDGs.
- Funding and Financial Support
- OS-HELP remains vital, accessed by 70% of Learning Abroad students.
- 72% of institutions provide student grants for Learning Abroad, with 39% of institutions indicating $3,000+ worth of funding per student / per program in 2024/25.
- Institutional and Social Media Support
- Only 42% of all Universities indicated high levels of support by institutional senior management for Learning Abroad.
- Instagram leads as the primary platform for student engagement (53%), though only 31% of Universities maintain an active Learning Abroad Ambassador program.
- Evaluation and Strategic Planning
- Over half (54%) of all Australian Universities do not include Learning Abroad in their overarching institutional strategic plans.
- 73% of universities will use Third Party Providers, such as CISaustralia, to support between 5-30% of their LA cohort abroad in 2024.
Brad Dorahy, Founder and CEO of CISaustralia, calls for a strengthened commitment to Learning Abroad, saying, “The 2024 survey underscores the need for increased academic engagement, environmental accountability, and institutional commitment to support sustainable growth in Learning Abroad. As student demand continues to rise and funding mechanisms strengthen, there are significant opportunities for universities to scale (up) their Learning Abroad programs, provided these challenges are addressed.”
The complete 2024 Learning Abroad survey and associated data is available on the CISaustralia website here. A summary of findings was also presented at the IEAA Learning Abroad Forum in August 2024.
