Are our universities holding back our education export potential?

But would it really do that much harm? Consider the huge number of Universities in the USA for example: the competition there doesn't seem to affect the position of the leading institutions which continue to build strong global brands with small student numbers. MIT has 11,500 students. Harvard some 22,000. Though small and despite swimming in the same sea as legions of others, they remain brands of global repute. There is no reason our own institutions should fear competition if their standards of excellence in research and teaching were such that competition was not a threat but an opportunity to elevate their reputations further.

Australia is at the end of the day a small country with desirable education qualities in a region of mega nations with a matching appetite for the education opportunities we could potentially offer. Is shutting the door to international institutions in this way really to our best advantage?

Footnote:

For more on the value of education exports see:

http://monitor.icef.com/2016/11/australias-education-exports-surpass-aus20-billion/

Also this handy but dated RBA report:
https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2008/jun/pdf/bu-0608-2.pdf