Australian Universities Say Certainty & Growth is Needed in Int’l Education

Universities Australia (UA), the peak body for 39 Australian universities, has stressed the need for more “certainty, stability, and growth” in the country’s international education sector.

In a recent statement, the organization said that the international education sector serves Australia in many ways, including economically, Erudera.com reports.

“We need certainty, stability and growth in a sector that serves the nation in so many ways. Decades of careful and strategic work by universities and the Government has seen Australia grow to be a leading provider of international education. We can’t let this work go to waste,” Universities Australia Chief Executive Officer Luke Sheehy said.

Sheehy added the sector is a bridge between Australia and the world, recalling the significant contribution to the economy last year.

In 2023, international students contributed $48 billion to the economy. Sheehy said that accounted for over half of Australia’s economic growth and also supported the work of universities.

“Stability and growth in the sector is essential for our prosperity and to ensure universities can meet the nation’s skills needs and continue helping the Government to deliver national priorities,” he said.

The Australian government will introduce new legislation to the Parliament this week to manage the growth of the international education sector.

This legislation will give the Minister of Education the power to cap the number of new international student enrollments at educational institutions.

Additionally, the government has published the draft of the International Education and Skills Strategic Framework to support cooperation between the government and the international education sector in capping the number of international students that can be enrolled during a specific period.

Universities that admit more international students must build new purpose-built student accommodation facilities to accommodate international and domestic students.

Commenting on the framework, Minister for Education Jason Clare said that while international students are back in Australia, there are still dishonest people who want to take advantage of them. He said the reforms are designed to support the sector’s integrity, quality and sustainability.

Government data revealed the number of international students in Australia surpassed 700,000 for the first time on February 29, 2024. This is an all-time high, increasing from 664,178 international students in September 2023.

While the COVID-19 pandemic affected international student numbers in Australia, which declined in 2020 and 2021, international education soon started to recover in the country.

However, due to their rapid increase, the government announced stricter visa rules for international students in a bid to curb net migration, including changes to English language requirements.

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