New research: Career outcomes matter most for international students – Australia must act to stay ahead  

As Australia approaches an election, new research from IDP Education underscores the important role international students play in addressing key skills gaps in Australia’s future workforce – and what they need in return to thrive.  

Career development opportunities remain the most influential factor determining where international students pursue global education according to the Emerging Futures 7 – Voice of the International Student research. Conducted in March 2025, the study collected responses from more than 6,000 students from over 100 countries.   

It reveals a growing number of students are linking graduate employment prospects with their definition of high-quality education.   

According to the research, students now define ‘high-quality education’ primarily based on an institution’s ‘graduate employment rate’. This outranked ‘institution ranking’, ‘facilities available to students’ and ‘quality of academic staff’ showing that students are seeking tangible outcomes from their studies.   

The research also identified that ‘job outcomes from the institution’ was the top non-academic factor when choosing an institution for 58 per cent of international students.  

Simon Emmett, Chief Partner Officer at IDP Education, stated that these findings underscore the mutually beneficial relationships between international students and host countries.  

"We know that international students choose their study destination based on factors that help them become job ready, with access to post-study employment visas being the key influence,” said Mr Emmett.  

“Simultaneously, we observe that international students are increasingly able to address essential skill shortages in the destination workforces.”   

"While we know in Australia the vast majority of international students return home after their studies, the research serves as a timely reminder for policymakers and industry to build stronger career pathways that enable them to stay. In doing so, the international student cohort can go on to fill vital skill gaps and foster long-lasting diplomatic ties between their home and host countries,” he said.  

While the research showed that there were positive sentiments among students, it also revealed they are struggling with study related costs and increasing cost of living.   

“Financial considerations, such as the cost of visa, and savings requirements are weighing on students’ minds. One in two students told us they would consider switching to another destination country if it had lower savings requirements,” said Mr Emmett.    

“Additionally, two thirds of students cite tuition fees, living costs and extra expenses as their biggest worry.”   

Despite the varying external pressures impacting each study destination, international student preferences for first-choice destination remained steady. Australia still holds the top spot, followed by the USA, UK and Canada respectively. Australia has seen a five per centage point increase since March 2024 while Canada has continued to see a drop in the number of students choosing it as their first-choice destination, down six per centage points since March 2024.  

Sunny Singh, former international student and current engineer, is working in Geelong, Victoria, where he brings ambition and drive to a sector in critical need of more people. Sunny said that he’s seen the impact skills gaps can have on his sector, as well as the positive impact international students can have on industries facing critical skills shortages.   

“International students come to Australia with big ambitions. When we embark on global study journeys, we are investing in building a future. We want to make a positive impact during the time that we spend studying and working in places like Australia,” said Mr Singh.   

“I’m incredibly proud of the career that I have built for myself. It hasn’t always been easy, but working in engineering and filling a critical skills gap is very rewarding,” he said.  

More information on the research is available at https://partners.idp.com/emergingfutures   

 ENDS    

About IDP Education   

IDP is a global leader in international student placement and a proud co-owner of the world’s most popular high-stakes English language test (IELTS).    

IDP is listed on the Australian securities exchange (ASX:IEL) and has 6500 employees across more than 60 countries. Our websites attract 100 million visits a year.   

We specialise in combining human expertise with digital technology to help people get accepted into their ideal course, take an English language test or learn English in their schools. Our teams work side-by-side with our customers, at every step from course search through to starting their dream course or career.   

We partner with more than 1000 quality universities and institutions across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our data insights are relied upon by organisations around the world to help ensure policies are informed by the diverse needs, challenges and motivations of students.    

Most of all, we are proud of our people, who are trusted by our customers to help them realise their global study or career goals.   

Media Contact: 

Annie Collison – Porter Novelli

  acollison@porternovelli.com.au 

  +61 406 080 356