Study Pathways of International Students

Study pathways are based largely on the system of inter-sectoral linkages available through the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) but also include courses which are currently outside the AQF such as English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students, foundation and non-award studies.Many international students follow study pathways through the Australian education system rather than limiting their study to a particular sector or level of the education system. This paper follows previous AEI examinations of the topic. Earlier papers looked at pathways of a single cohort of students and presented observations on their broad trends in sector pathways. As we now have a longer times series of data, this new analysis looks at two separate cohorts of student—one group who commenced in 2002, and the second who commenced in 2004.
The paper compares the more common pathways of each cohort; highlights the similarities and differences by sector and nationality; and examines the changes in pathways patterns.