The Mongolian market may surprise you. This is a market not as familiar to many but was one of the fastest growing source countries with double-digit growth every year from 2012 up until the onset of the pandemic.

Mongolia Market Trends and Opportunities

While Australia was the second most-preferred English-speaking study destination for Mongolian students behind the US prior to the pandemic, online learning is not the norm in Mongolia, so this put us in a challenging competitive position to secure new commencements of Mongolian students if they were not already onshore

However, all the fundamentals are there for the market to bounce back now that border restrictions are easing, and for Australian universities, there are a range of scholarships available for Mongolian students including DFAT Australia Awards Scholarships for postgraduate study, and Mongolian government scholarships for those admitted to an Australian university ranked in the top 100. Many large companies also sponsor their staff to undertake postgraduate study in Australia.

Foreign degrees and English language skills do attract a premium for graduates in the Mongolian job market, and for those who are self-funded, they are not particularly rankings driven and are more focused on price and on gaining practical skills that will lead to employment outcomes.

Another characteristic of the market is that over 80 per cent of Mongolians choose to study in Sydney, and this trend is similar no matter what sector they are studying in as a large Mongolian community has formed there with strong positive word of mouth.

In terms of opportunities that don’t depend on borders, opportunities exist to partner with large companies in Mongolia (particularly mining companies) and/or Mongolian education providers to deliver short courses and skills training online to meet the demand arising from new mining, construction and infrastructure projects.