The City of Melbourne's Student Welcome Program will kick-off this week to welcome students ahead of the start of the academic year.
City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the Student Welcome Program features a range of events to help international students settle into their new life in Australia.
"We want to support our international students settle into Melbourne and enjoy everything our great city has to offer," the Lord Mayor said.
"We're hosting sessions throughout March and April that gives students the inside local knowledge on where to shop, how to get involved in sports, local laws and even a complete short course on deciphering Aussie slang."
"I'm particularly looking forward to the Lord Mayor's Student Welcome, which will be part of the 2019 Melbourne Dumpling Festival on Friday 15 March to Saturday 16 March.
"This event will be a fun and exciting way to welcome students, answer questions and help them find their feet in Melbourne, all while enjoying delicious dumplings."
City of Melbourne's International Engagement Portfolio Chair, Councillor Philip Le Liu, said the program celebrates Melbourne's cultural diversity and invites new international students to come together, make friends, learn about the city and, most of all, have fun.
"Melbourne's international student population represents more than 59,000 students living or studying in the central city. We want to ensure students are given all the support they need to enjoy their time here.
"Our international student population is also a key economic driver, bringing in $32 billion across Australia each year."
According to the recently released 2019 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, six of Australia's top universities feature in the prestigious top 100, two of which are located in the City of Melbourne.
"Not only are our universities ranked among the best in the world, QS Best Student Cities 2018 named Melbourne the third best destination in the world for international students," Cr Le Liu said.
"Melbourne is known as Australia's cultural capital offering a huge calendar of events for international students. As a city, we have always ranked well for international students because of its desirability and student mix, thanks to a large and diverse student population.
"With a world-class reputation for hosting international students, it's no wonder we welcome so many international students each year to our city and we take seriously our responsibility to support these students as they transition into life in Melbourne," Cr Le Liu said.
