Students with Australian degrees to have qualifications recognised internationally

Australia has just achieved another huge win: the country has officially ratified the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, which means that it’s now among the 21 countries whose students will have internationally recognisable degrees. 

A whole new world of opportunities for international students

Joining the UNESCO treaty will benefit Australia’s schools and students, including international ones, by making it easier for them to be more globally mobile in case they want to work and further their education in other countries.  Education Minister Jason Clare says that this is a “significant education milestone,” as it will provide the county’s students with “even greater confidence that their Australian qualification, whether undertaken onshore, offshore or online, will be recognised in other countries, helping them to access higher education abroad, as well as pursue greater employment opportunities.”

The news has excited the country’s students, as it opens up a whole new realm of opportunities for them to pursue across the globe. The 21 countries that are part of the UNESCO treaty are some of the most globally recognised for their education, including the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, France, and Japan.

One thing that the country’s students should note, however, is that the treaty will offer no benefit for students wanting to return to India.

“At this time Australian TAFE diplomas, and pathway-led bachelor’s degrees and master’s shorter than two years are not recognised in India,” states Sydney-based Ravi Lochan Singh, President of the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI).”If a student, having completed a bachelor’s degree where he started the degree at a TAFE or a pathway provider but taken credits into a university degree, returns to India and then seeks a public sector or government job, then they face equivalence issues.”

Despite this exemption, the federal government recognised India as among the top five countries of origin for international students during the period of January to November of 2022. Australia and India are also soon expected to implement a taskforce for developing education qualification recognition arrangements, which they established and announced last year.