Australian universities fill only two-thirds of places for international students — The Guardian

In Australia, universities are filling on average only two-thirds of the allocated places for international students. The most difficult situation has developed at regional institutions, where administrators link the decline in enrolments to uncertainty over visas and heated political debates on immigration, The Guardian reports.

According to October data from Australia’s Department of Education, only five public universities filled more than 80% of their allocated places — all of them are located in capital cities.

Pressure on regional universities

Mike Ferguson, deputy vice-chancellor for international students at Charles Sturt University, said that the institution, which has campuses in regional New South Wales, filled 40% of its quota this year. According to him, the number of international students there is about 35% lower than last year and amounts to only one-fifth of the pre-pandemic level.

The university estimated its losses from the gap between current and pre-pandemic enrolment at $35 million and has already announced job cuts and restructuring. Ferguson linked the decline to the increase in the visa application fee to $2,500, a high refusal rate, and uncertainty caused by statements from the Coalition parties and One Nation regarding international students.

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He also noted that regional universities mainly attract students from South Asian countries, for whom the visa refusal rate reached about 53%.

Risks to budgets and staffing

Higher education expert Professor Andrew Norton stressed that the decline in the number of international students affects all public universities, as their tuition fees help fund teaching and research. George Williams, vice-chancellor of Western Sydney University, warned that budget deficits could affect services for domestic students.

In September, the University of Adelaide told ABC that after merging with the University of South Australia, it had filled 60% of places for international students. This could result in a $90 million revenue shortfall.

The government target for 2026 is 295,000 international students, while the figure, according to the cited data, is heading towards 250,000. Phil Honeywood, head of the International Education Association of Australia, said that a reduction in student numbers in regional areas could worsen shortages of nurses, childcare and aged-care workers, as well as engineers.