A large number of Saudi students are choosing to study in Australia, mostly under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program. In 2009 they numbered 12,500 in Australian educational institutions in a wide range of fields including health, information technology, business and accounting.

Australia, which is committed to expanding its strong and growing trade and investment relationship with Saudi Arabia and other countries of the GCC, has been calling for more Saudi students to head for that country for both English learning and other subjects of specialization.

There is a scope for Australia to develop the bilateral relationship with this key Gulf state, an official at the Australian Embassy says. Australians enjoy a good reputation in the Kingdom for competence and tolerance, which is acting as a catalyst for attracting Saudi students to their country.

During the visit of an Australian trade delegation to Riyadh in December 2010, former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke who headed the mission urged the Saudi government to send more Saudi students to Australia for higher studies, as it has the “most conducive environment” for receiving proper education.

“Australia is a highly competitive country economically with a quality education system, which means that Saudis wishing to study in Australia can depend on a safe and secure society, quality education of world standards and friendly people,” said Hawke. The blending of about 170 nationalities has enriched Australia and its culture, and that can work to the advantage of Saudi and other overseas students.

Saudi students have since been choosing to study in Australia. There are over 3,000 Australian expatriates employed in Saudi Arabia, mainly in health, education and other specialist areas, and their positive interaction with Saudis is also contributing to more Saudi students preferring to study in Australia, especially in the state of Victoria.

Victoria is a major international education destination offering qualifications recognized around the world. The education system in Victoria attracts students from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the globe. Victoria offers government and private schools, ranging from boarding schools and day schools to religious schools, girls schools, and boys schools. There are seven independent Islamic schools in Victoria, all of them offering prep, primary and secondary level education. Nine universities, eight of them public, and a number of government accredited private higher education providers deliver higher education in Victoria.

Victorian universities offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, from business administration and management through to science, law and nursing. There are students traveling to Victoria’s cosmopolitan capital city Melbourne from Saudi Arabia for their education. The Victorian Government Business Office in Dubai has just appointed Karine Ataya as its new education service manager who is responsible for promoting Victoria’s high quality education offering throughout the Middle East. Melbourne has developed a worldwide reputation as the Southern Hemisphere’s knowledge capital, attracting academic thought leaders, industry partners and students from around the world. Regularly ranked as one of the world’s most livable cities, Melbourne hosts more than 130,000 international students — including more than 2,100 students from Saudi Arabia.

Around 45 percent of Saudi students in Victoria pursue advanced studies in world-ranked universities in and around Melbourne, while a further 39 percent are enrolled in intensive English language courses, many in preparation for prestigious university courses.

Melbourne’s four million inhabitants come from more than 130 nations, making the modern city one of the most multicultural cities in the world. The concentration of higher education students and research expertise has cemented the city’s reputation as Australia’s knowledge capital.

Close links have already been forged between many Victorian higher education institutions and Saudi Arabia. Monash University, based in Melbourne’s east, has forged close links with the Kingdom’s universities, including King Abdulaziz, King Saud, King Faisal, Taif and Dammam, as well as a corporate partnership with Saudi Aramco.

The Victorian government has led the development of innovation and industry hubs to leverage off the state’s outstanding research infrastructure and intellectual leadership. Hubs have been developed in aviation, automotive technology, nanotechnology, sustainability, education leadership, and health sector training and development. An impressive range of research infrastructure is spread across the state, including intensive health, materials science and engineering research precincts, as well as the Australian Synchrotron and a new world-class Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging facility at Deakin University in the regional city of Geelong.

Victorian Vocational Education and Training providers are developing partnerships with governments, education providers and companies around the world after building a reputation for the delivery of high quality, innovative, well-regulated vocational training, specifically tailored with business groups to meet the skills needs of modern industry and help drive economic growth. The state’s education institutions must meet Australia’s high standards for international education courses. The national Qualifications Framework provides a reliable, audited standard of education across all institutions, enabling students to change institutions or articulate to higher levels of study as long as visa requirements are satisfied.