A test of the role of universities in regional development: The case of international education students in the Northern Territory

There is some controversy in Australia over the role of regional universities in the economic development of their regions. This paper assumes that regional universities can be valuable additions to regional development. To avoid the Grattan 'taxpayer-money-recycled' critiques, this paper examines students who provide other people's money, notably international education students in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. The case is made that international education exports are a valuable part of the suite of the NT's exports. It is posited that over the next decade the Territory's international education exports can triple and the sector become the Territory's fifth largest exporter and the second largest services exporter.