Company: MONASH INTERNATIONAL

State: VICTORIA

Sector: EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

Monash University consistently ranks in the top five Australian higher
education recruiters in India. Monash International, a wholly-owned
company of Monash University, is responsible for marketing and
administering Monash's international fee-paying, scholarship, study
abroad and exchange programs. India is currently the second largest source
of international applications for Monash, though largely due to the
stringent visa assessment criteria introduced in June 2001, has yet to
nudge into the top four countries in terms of students actually enrolled
in degree courses. Monash' s Indian enrolments steadily grew from the mid
1990s, initially by establishing a network of local education agents and
participating regularly in Indian educational exhibitions.

It also built brand awareness through seminar and interview programs
conducted in key cities and through Monash academics' institutional and
research links. Monash International sponsors an annual debate between
elite schools in New Delhi; Monash undergraduate business and economics
students also participate in the student competition of the annual
Economics Convention of the Hyderabad-Sind National Colleges of Mumbai
University. Monash International sought to strengthen pathways into Monash
degrees for undergraduate students by establishing Monash College
preparatory courses in Hyderabad and Jaipur.

These promotional activity and brand building efforts generated strong
enrolment growth from India, with 70 per cent of enrolments coming from
the postgraduate market. Despite a decrease in enrolment growth in 2001,
as the new ESOS Act visa regulations were bedded down, the Indian market
remains with China one of the top two growth prospects for international
student recruitment. The most popular courses remain information
technology and computer science, business administration, marketing and
international business. Demand for science courses is also emerging. The
development of an international stem cell research centre, the siting of
Australia's future synchrotron microscope at Monash and the announcement
of plans to commence the building of a A$300 million Science Technology
Research Infrastructure Precinct at Monash in December 2001 should all
encourage postgraduate science enrolments from the subcontinent.

During 2001, Monash International rationalised its agent network in
India, with the aim of improving agent performance and productivity. The
choice of agent is a crucial decision, particularly given the more
stringent student visa regime. New entrants to the Indian market need to
carefully evaluate the scope and quality of prospective agents in
establishing their network. Monash International recommends prospective
Australian entrants undertake comprehensive market research prior to
entering the market as poor targeting is costly in such a vast potential
market

Source: Monash International, 2001.