A simple head-count shows domestic students (12,020) are slightly more prevalent than internationals (10,640), but a study-load measure shows that CQU does more teaching of internationals.

The study-load measure – which bundles students into ‘effective full-time’ units to take into account their varying mixes of part-time or full-time study – shows there were 7882.5 internationals and 7382 Australians at CQU in 2004.

CQU's international students have 109 different nationalities and more than four-fifths of these are based on one of the University's Australian International campuses (in metropolitan areas). Almost half of these are studying at a postgraduate level.

India (23.86%) and China (14.90%) are the largest single contributors to CQU’s international enrolments with further significant numbers from Bangladesh (7.68%), Hong Kong (6.02%), Singapore (5.69%), Indonesia (5.62%), Fiji (5.39%), Taiwan (5.25%), Thailand (4.42%) and South Korea (3.42%).

Small numbers of international students are also drawn from a wide range of other countries, such as Barbados, Belgium, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, Rwanda and the Bahamas.

While teenage school leavers tend to attract the most media attention, mature-age students (aged 25 and over) are actually in the majority at Central Queensland University.

In fact, CQU’s domestic students tend to be female, aged over 25, and studying externally or by mixed mode (8,056 are not internal versus 4,114 who are).

There are also significant numbers of domestic students who have disabilities (770), are Indigenous (311), come from a Non-English Speaking Background (487), who come from isolated and rural areas (8751), or who come from low socio-economic backgrounds (3145).

CQU's domestic students come from Central Queensland (Fitzroy, Mackay, Wide Bay/Burnett districts) and the Brisbane/Moreton districts, with only small numbers from other parts of Queensland.

For details call Dean of International Programs Professor Debbie Clayton 0419 725 614.