INTERNATIONAL student enrolments could grow in Warrnambool in coming years with the city's tertiary educators investigating opportunities to draw in further students.
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Deakin University increased numbers from 21 in 2015 to 34 this year, but campus director Alistair Mccosh said the university planned to boost those numbers to 100 in the next three years.
"Based on the growth we've seen so far, we're confident that our plan is working and that international student enrolments will continue to grow over the coming years," Mr Mccosh said.
"We believe that's very achievable particularly with the support the federal government has put in place."
The federal government announced incentives earlier this year for international students to enrol outside of big capital cities, where 80 per cent currently choose to study.
The incentives include 4720 scholarships for domestic and international students to study in regional areas, and changes to eventually allow international students studying in regional areas three years of post-study work rights.
Mr Mccosh said nursing, commerce and marine science were the most popular courses this year for international students, who he believed also brought cultural value to the city.
"They play in sporting organisations and work in part-time employment and bring a mix of their food, culture and music to the region," he said. "We think we have a very strong value proposition for international students because accommodation is significantly more affordable than our metro counterparts."
South West TAFE was previously registered to offer courses to international students and now hosts study tours through partnerships with overseas institutions.
It has given early consideration if it could rejoin a federal register to offer courses to international students in the future.
The TAFE's international relationship specialist John Cook said the recent study tours were a success.
"Most recently we had dairy farming students from Korea liaising with industry, looking at the way our dairy industry works and having some on-farm experiences," Mr Cook said.
He said TAFE appealed to international students because it offered pathways to university and the smaller classes provided greater support.
"In a lot of cases English is their second language and the care and support of an international student is vital for their success," Mr Cook said.
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