Pathways to success

Tram Nguyen, the Director of Marketing at Monash College, leads the development and execution of impact-driven marketing strategies to advance global education across the Asia Pacific region. With a career spanning Australia and Southeast Asia, Tram brings deep expertise in international marketing, student recruitment, and global engagement.

In this interview with Campus, Tram reflects on the growing number of Bangladeshi students choosing Australia for their higher studies and how the Monash-UCBD partnership is supporting their journey.

Campus (C): Could you walk us through the current trend of Bangladeshi students going to Australia for their education?

Tram Nguyen (T): I think over the last four years, the number of Bangladeshi students in Australia has increased exponentially year on year. What's interesting is that the growth is spread across different sectors, with roughly an equal split between postgraduate and undergraduate students.

Then there are the students who are coming to Australia to learn at the vocational level, as well as students who are undertaking the pathway programmes. In terms of the actual numbers, our government data shows that in 2024, we had 13,000 Bangladeshi students commence their studies in Australia.

We've also seen an increase in Bangladeshi students coming to study with us [at Monash]. One of our growth ambitions is to make Monash degrees accessible to different markets, so partners like Universal College Bangladesh (UCBD) are important in our role in global education because we provide students with multiple options to get to the same destination. Students can come directly to Australia, or they can come through UCBD. That flexibility we offer is really important in driving the growth of students coming to Australia from a particular market.

C: Have you seen any changes in the perspective of students opting for global education?

T: There's definitely been a shift in how students prepare to go overseas for certain markets. They've really matured, and it's across a breadth of sectors. I think that access to high school education, as well, is a lot more diverse. There's a lot more opportunity for students to opt for global high school qualifications, like Cambridge or the International Baccalaureate (IB). And with that comes diversity in the types of applications that we get.

We're also seeing students who are studying the local or the English medium curriculum. So we are seeing students coming with varying and higher levels of English and a lot more sophisticated in what they know and what they aspire to study at university.

C: Tell us about the initiatives of Monash College's global study opportunities for Bangladeshi students.

T: With the diversity in students coming through, you have students who have prepared very well very early in their high school years, have graduated high school with really strong results, and are ready to go directly to university. Then you have many other students who potentially don't take the traditional way of going to university. And I think that's where the role of the college is quite distinct.

We're here to help students have a pathway to university, and it doesn't necessarily mean that they're behind their peers. It just means that they are taking a different pathway that's unique to their own needs.

What we've seen in the last couple of years is students opting to commence a university pathway, like the Foundation Programme, after they complete grade 11. This is really interesting to me because I think students are basically saying that they want to start the journey early. And I think that's really empowering, and that's part of the role of the college as well, alongside looking for ways to support students to succeed in university.

C: What kind of difference do you notice in national curricula while assessing admission seekers from around Asia, and where do Bangladeshi students stand in your assessment?

T: Students in Bangladesh—as well as those from Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific region—are very advanced in maths and STEM subjects compared to students in Australia and other markets. At Monash, we look at this as an advantage. And so, we have a programme that basically tests students when they come in, and we get to understand their level of expertise in mathematics.

C: What are some of the advantages that the Monash-UCBD collaboration offers to students to secure enrollment with renowned universities like Monash?

T: Depending on their goals, preferences, and readiness for university, students have multiple options to get to the same destination. So, having a partnership in the market here in Bangladesh means that students can start their university journey in a cost-efficient way while being close to their families.

Hence, I would say that the value of taking a Monash pathway programme is the flexibility it offers. And once they finish their pathway programmes, students have the opportunity to choose across different campus locations in Australia and Malaysia. This too is a unique opportunity for students, as pursuing a Monash degree in Malaysia is very different compared to pursuing a Monash degree in Australia. In fact, some students take both of those choices; they start in Malaysia and then come to Australia, which I think is quite a unique proposition.

C: To secure a better future, why should Bangladeshi students choose Monash as a Higher education option?

T: Bangladeshi students should choose Monash as a higher education option for three reasons: the quality of the degrees, the overall student experience, and the innovative learning environment.

Firstly, Monash is part of the Group of Eight (Go8) universities in Australia. The Go8 is a coalition of Australia's leading research-intensive universities. The university is also very highly ranked in graduate employability globally. We have courses that are accredited by many global accrediting bodies, and as graduates, when you have completed an accredited programme, it's recognised globally. In particular, our business school is Triple Crown accredited, so that's accreditation from really respected accreditation bodies in the US, the UK, and Europe. Completing such accredited programmes keeps your options open for job opportunities globally.

Monash also offers a dynamic student experience, both inside and outside of the classroom. We take pride in developing students holistically, academically, professionally, and personally. Our programmes are not just delivering academic content; they are giving students the opportunity, from day one, to experience much more, including different, unique internships, projects, global experience programmes, etc. Students engage with mentors and career coaches, and all of that comes together to really help them become well-rounded graduates and work-ready.

As for the innovative learning environment, it's our campuses; they are built to be innovative ecosystems bringing students together. The facilities available at our campuses enable students to learn in different environments. We have maker spaces, design studios, specialised research centres, and various labs and hubs. Besides, our largest campus—Clayton—is nested in the Monash Technology Precinct, which is home to 13,000 companies. So basically, students are living and studying in an environment where they're interacting with industry leaders, researchers, and startups.

All of this really helps our students as they are not just learning theory but are also engaging in it.