Back to Full Paper Index 83 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SINGAPORE Abhishek Bhati Derrick Lee James Cook University Singapore ABSTRACT UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics reported the number of international students crossed 3.43 million, an annual increase of 12 per cent in 2009 (Bhati, Lee & Khairon, 2013). This study identifies the factors influencing the prospective students from India and China’s choice of overseas study destination. The study adopted Mazzarol’s (1997) six-factor model and proposes a conceptual framework using statistical analysis and incorporated variables relevant to Asian context. The research design adopts a mixed method approach in a survey of the literature, online survey of students from India and China and quantitative analysis using factor analysis. The study presents important implications to stakeholders in international education sector in Asia-Pacific region. Keywords: Education Tourism, International Education, Study Destination, Higher Education INTRODUCTION The growth of international students continues to rise. The provisional figures from UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics reveal an annual increase of 12 per cent. According to the Institute of International Education, the United States (US) is the biggest destination – 691,000 students with an annual value of US$20 billion. The three largest sources of international students are from China, India and South Korea (Bhati, Lee & Khairon, 2013) The Australian universities are facing intense competition from US, Canada, United Kingdom and China in attracting international students (Pacifica Consultants; Radio Australia, 2012). China has been wooing international students in a bid to internationalize its universities and aims to attract 500,000 foreign students by 2020, with 150,000 of them in higher education as part of China’s National Plan for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development 2010-2020 (ICEF, 2012). Current literature reads that international students are primarily concerned with the quality of institutions, quality of courses, employability, safety, distance, culture similarities, and limited education opportunity in home country; ease in immigration procedures, parents and friends, and prospect of migration upon graduation, and education agents (Gatfield and Hyde, 2005; cited in Chung, Holdsworth, Li and Fam, 2009). Educational institutions based in Australia, Malaysia, China and Singapore emphasized the importance of higher perceived quality and affordability as key factors affecting students’ enrollment. Singapore, the focus of this paper, faces intense competition in the region, particularly from Malaysia, its closest neighbour. At the Transforming Education Summit held in Abu Dhabi, Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that education is the top priority for Malaysia to move forward and to become the world’s sixth-biggest education exporting country by 2020 with a target of 200,000 international students. Currently these are several leading Australian Institutions with offshore campuses in Singapore and Malaysia–Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak; Curtin University