Thousands more students to study in Asia

By Geoff Maslen. More than 10,000 Australian university students will receive grants to study in Asia and thousands more will have access to generous student loans as part of the federal government's strategy to strengthen engagement with the world’s most populous region.
An A$37 million (US$38.48 million) AsiaBound Grants Programme will offer students up to $5,000 to undertake short or semester-length study exchanges, as well as $1,000 grants for preparatory Asian language study.
Announcing the new scheme, Tertiary Education Minister Senator Chris Evans said eligibility for the government’s HECS-type loan scheme would be broadened and simplified to give more students access to increased loan amounts.
"AsiaBound will support more than 10,000 Australian students to enjoy the experience of living and studying in an Asian country," Evans said.
"This is a programme to give Australian students the opportunity to build lifelong professional networks and friendships. In addition, all Australian students, across all disciplines, will have greater support to take up part of their study in Asia.”
Evans’ announcement follows the launch by Prime Minister Julia Gillard of a government white paper, Australia in the Asian Century, setting out a series of goals the government hopes to achieve to link Australia more closely with the rapidly developing nations of Asia. More...