Australia's education exports have soared to a new high of $21 billion a year driven by a 17 per cent surge in Chinese student enrolment.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that international students brought in $20.96 billion in the year to September, the first time the figure has topped $20 billion in a 12-month period.

However, the industry's peak group, the International Education Association of Australia, warns that growing numbers of Chinese students in university business degrees could narrow the value of the international experience for students coming to Australia.

Getting the nationality mix right is going to be a key challenge, saysd Phil Honeywood from the International Education Association of Australia. Jesse Marlow

"With 85 per cent of native Mandarin speakers in many of our business courses now we are in danger of compromising the international experience of many overseas students. Getting the nationality mix right is going to be a key challenge," said Phil Honeywood, the association's CEO.

According to the ABS, 27 per cent of education export revenue was from Chinese students in 2015-16. Separate figures from the federal Department of Education show that the number of Chinese students up to August this year was 17 per cent higher than last year, compared to a 12 per cent rise in overall international student enrolments.