Culture of Competition? Comparing international student policy in the United States and Australia

This article focuses on the growing phenomenon of international students in higher education, and compares international student policy and practice in higher education in the United States and Australia. Recurrent themes in recent years are marked by a changing context for higher education, considerable growth in foreign student numbers, and the emergence of international education as a significant export industry, with intense competition throughout the Asian region. The thrust of this analysis is on American and Australian international student policy development in the 1990s, with particular emphasis upon student flows, demand patterns and economic impact. This study reveals increasingly similar national interests, with Australia now being a rising contender in the field. This essay also reviews some of the criticism of the United States for its complacency, and under‐investment in international education.