More than 84,000 international students from over 80 countries are studying at Australian universities. This is about half of all international students enrolled in Australian courses.

The terms University and Degree are protected in Australia so that only institutions which meet Australia's high quality assurance processes can use the titles.

Australia has 39 universities which are listed on the registers of the Australian Qualifications Framework as well as a number of recognised higher education institutions. Australian universities also have overseas branch campuses, twinning arrangements and exchange programmes for students and staff globally. Australia has nearly 4000 formal agreements with universities around the world.

Many Australian universities concentrate on traditional areas of learning and inquiry, while others are more vocational and applied in focus. All, to some extent, combine tuition with research.

It is Australia's reputation as an innovative and research-intensive culture that is attracting many international students at the postgraduate level. Australia's expenditure on research and development ranks high.