Consider this: Not so very long ago - at the turn of the millennium to be precise - international student enrolments in Australia from India amounted to a mere 10,000. Back then, Australia's principal source markets for students were China, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Korea Hong Kong and Indonesia. Each of these countries had more students studying in Australia than India did, and as a consequence India wasn't even part of Australia's marketing strategy.

Circa 2008: From any educator's standpoint, to exclude India from the gameplan today would be blasphemy - and certain suicide. International student enrolments from India YTD June 2008 numbered 65,377, a whopping 55 per cent growth over YTD June 2007. That's second only to China (93,387); and better than the next country by nearly 40,000. Also evident from the statistics is the fact India contributed 17 per cent of Australia's total number of international enrolments (392,632). But the important thing to note here is that India commands the fastest growth rate for international students.

Says Richard Geddes, Regional Marketing Manager, Edith Cowan University: "It's impossible not to think of India; it's a key sector for us. In terms of growth it's our number one market." Kelly Smith, Associate Director, University of Western Australia, nods agreement: "There are some significant areas where our strategic focus lies strongly, and India is one of those areas. It is a vital part of our internationalisation strategy."

Even so, let's try and understand what makes Australia such an overwhelming favourite for Indian students wanting to study abroad. The Australian education system offers over 12,000 courses that are recognised internationally and are of first-class standards. The tuition fees and living costs in Australia are far more affordable than in the UK, the US or Canada.

The largest number of international students in Australia study in the Higher Education (University) sector, followed by the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, and the English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector.

Henry A.S Ledlie, Country Director of IDP, India, explains the Australian advantage: "Australia provides an unmatched combination of world class education, great value for money and a fantastic living ambience. The fact that many Australian universities are on the Times Higher Education world Top 200 rankings proves that Australian degrees are recognised by government, industry and professional bodies the world over. Also, the cost of studying and living in Australia is very competitive as compared with study destinations like the US and UK. Many students find it affordable to take a bank loan and fund their education."

But apart from being an excellent study destination, Australia is also a safe and welcoming place to live. It provides a multicultural society with a population originating from over 200 countries. Australian people have a reputation for being amongst the friendliest in the world, and Australian cities are safe and clean, with low crime rates. The lifestyle and quality of living in Australia is among the best in the world. In fact, several of Australia's capital cities regularly rank among the world's 'most liveable' cities. The Mercer Human Resource Consulting 2008 worldwide quality of living survey recently found that five Australian cities ranked in the top 40 for overall quality of living. Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane ranked 10th, 17th, 21st, 29th and 34th respectively, whereas the US' top city, Honolulu, was ranked 28th, and the UK's top city, London, was ranked 38th. Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane all ranked in the top 50 cites for personal safety.

Right through the education section in this report, you'll find Indian students' testimonials - students who have come to Australia and benefited. It’s a clear indicator as to why Australia has leapfrogged past the UK to become the second most sought after destination for Indian students. The sky’s the limit now.