How do you see the rise of India-Australian education relations and collaborative efforts in education and research?
I believe there has never been a more exciting time for our relationship. India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, in conjunction with the recent Australia-ESTA agreement, is creating a deep and innovative framework for trans-educational opportunities. The University of Melbourne is excited by this vision, and we are pleased to be here, renewing key partnerships with institutions across the country with a series of announcements to expand our blending learning programmes. We are working with colleagues at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), SPPU, IIT Madras and other institutions to explore how we can work together on expanding our joint degree and joint PhD offerings.
Finally, we see a lot of alignment between our respective countries in industry-academic collaboration. While we are here, we are exploring opportunities for commercial partnerships with India’s technology industry and building on our existing research collaborations in water management, public health and inefficiency and advances in sustaining livestock production during the summer months. Huh.
What makes Australia a preferred education destination for international students?
International students are part of the integral fabric of our academic community, and we feel fortunate that these talented students choose to come and study in Australia.
The country has one of the best higher education systems in the world, with many of the top 100 universities in the world, the University of Melbourne itself being No. 1, and the city of Melbourne in the top 10 student cities in the world.
Almost every major city – Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast – is also in the top 100 student cities in the world. The University of Melbourne is also home to a diverse range of disciplines from the Victorian College of Arts, Melbourne Law School (ranked 5th in the world) and as a university partner to the Biomedical Precinct of Melbourne, widely acknowledged as one of the world’s best. is done. for medical research.
In the next five years, where do you see this valuable collaboration between India and Australia headed?
Like the relationship between Australia and India, the University of Melbourne has focused on developing a strong foundation of partnership. In the coming years, we expect to see the establishment of more blended learning programs between Australian and Indian universities. We hope to drive more shared learning experiences between Australian and Indian students. And of course, at our university, we will expand our offering of contemporary India studies to the university’s core undergraduate programs.
In research, we will see an increase in joint publications sharing complementary expertise and an increase in funding for joint research projects from outside sources, including industry, philanthropy and government grants.
How is the University of Melbourne planning to attract Indian students?
The university is home to a busy and growing group of Indian students. And the state of Victoria has the largest number of expatriates from India with over 182,000 living in the state in 2020, making the city of Melbourne a very desirable place for our students to live.
The University of Melbourne is also the only higher education institution in Australia to offer its unique programs that make our graduates the most employable. The curriculum builds a flexible mindset, interdisciplinary thinking and critical skills, as well as providing professional recognition in medicine, law, engineering, education and more.
Students then select a major and through each year of study, they will build in-depth specialist knowledge in their chosen major. Each degree has a different set of majors to explore. However, our students are encouraged to go beyond their studies to build an interdisciplinary skill set and critical thinking as well as strong problem-solving, communication and leadership abilities. Many students try something completely new – theatre, dance, a language, psychology, or an instrument.
The University also has a comprehensive program to help students transform lives in Melbourne, including:
- Expanding Melbourne Graduate Scholarship Program, a one-time scholarship of $5000 to support current graduate students to continue their undergraduate studies at the University of Melbourne
- Extended merit-based scholarships for international students, starting at $10,000 for new and current high-achieving international undergraduate and graduate research students, wherever they are in the world
- Invitations to social activities, friend and mentoring events, campus visits, and student orientation activities