A newly certified partnership between institutions in Melbourne and Phnom Penh aligns with Australian government imperatives to boost engagement with South-east Asia while curtailing enrolments on home soil.

Monash University’s fully owned pathway college has signed a deal with Beltei International University, a private institution in the Cambodian capital, to deliver Monash’s foundation year programme to local students.

The programme helps students hone their English and study skills while exploring subjects of interest. Successful graduates earn guaranteed access to undergraduate courses at any Monash campus, including the university’s outposts in nearby Malaysia and Indonesia.

The agreement exemplifies the Australian sector’s lurch into transnational education since the federal government started rolling out policies to curb onshore international enrolments in late 2023.

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Boasting Australia’s longest established network of overseas branch campuses, Monash is well placed to teach international students offshore.

The government has also introduced incentives for universities to boost their engagement with South-east Asia, to help foster links with the region while reducing their financial reliance on students from China and India.

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As the fifth smallest nation in its populated region, and barely scraping into the world’s 100 biggest economies, Cambodia has never been a major source market for foreign students in Australia. However, education department statistics show that enrolments from the country increased by 10 per cent during the first 10 months of last year – a growth rate exceeded only by Bangladesh and a handful of very minor markets.

Monash said demand from Cambodia had increased by 47 per cent over the past four years. Student commencements across its campuses and its pathway provider, Monash College, had more than doubled in half a decade.

“I hope that many students in Cambodia will go on to complete their…education at one of our campuses across the globe, looking fondly on Australia – and the education they have received – for many years after they graduate,” said Monash College CEO Fabian Marrone.

Monash’s alumni include Cambodian deputy prime minister Say Samal, who earned his PhD from the university’s Clayton campus.

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Beltei’s name is an acronym of the main subjects it teaches: business, economics, law, tourism, English and information technology. It is the higher education arm of a group founded by Ly Chheng, a prominent Phnom Penh politician.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com