AUSTRALIA has been ranked ahead of the US and the UK as the safest country for Indian international students, a new survey shows.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26198489-29277,00.html

A sneak peak at a poll of 1130 Indian students and graduates from around the world found that 26 per cent ranked Australia as the number one nation for safety.

It was followed by Great Britain and Canada with 20 per cent of the vote, New Zealand with 13 per cent and America with five per cent, according to international student recruiter IDP Education.

When it came to best government policies to protect international students, Australia came first again with 19 per cent of the vote, followed by the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.

The figures come after the country's $15.5 billion international education industry was damaged by attacks on Indian students in Melbourne earlier this year and claims others were being exploited by dodgy education providers.

"These results are very encouraging in the light of recent challenges to Australia reputation as a quality, safe and good value provider of education to Indian students," IDP Education chief executive Tony Pollock said.

Indian students also ranked Australia as the best place for accessing permanent residency and student visas.

All the findings from a wider survey of more than 6000 students will be released on Wednesday as part of the Australian International Education Conference in Sydney.