Upcoming with the 2025 academic year, Australia will limit the number of international students entering the country through the introduction of a new policy.
Beginning on January 1, 2025, the government wants to cap the number of new international students at 270,000 under the “National Planning Level” (NPL) framework.
The goal of this adjustment is to bring in record-breaking migration rates, which have pushed up housing costs and put pressure on the public infrastructure.
Parliament still needs to approve this proposal, yet.
New Enrollment Limits for 2025 – University-Specific Caps Announced for International Students in Australia
- How the Cap Will Affect Different Education Sectors?
The enrollment limits will be divided among different education sectors in Australia.
Public universities are set to enroll around 145,000 new international students in 2025, maintaining the same intake as in 2023.
About 95,000 new students will be admitted into the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.
Some institutions, particularly those with a high trust on international students, will face lower intake limits to encourage a more diverse student body.
Other universities and non-university education providers will have their intake capped at 30,000 students.
This will result in the smallest intake of international students seen in the past 5 years, a considerable drop from the 561,000 who began their studies in 2023.
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Criticism from Universities and Education Leaders
Universities and other education stakeholders in Australia have expressed disapproval of the proposed cap.
As stated in the May release of the Draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework, there are worries that the decreased number of incoming students will have a negative impact on the labor market and force roughly 300 independent colleges to close.
Many colleges claim that it is incorrect to put specific caps on each provider and are in favor of an overall cap.
The government has supported the decision, stating the goal to promote sustainable expansion in Australia’s education system, despite these objections.
A government statement says, “Starting January 1, 2025, the total number of new international student commencements in Australia will be set under the National Planning Level, which will be reviewed annually.”
Read: How much does it cost to study Pharmacy in Australia?
University-Wise Enrollment Caps
The updated regulation sets the maximum number of students that each university may accept.
The number of new international students that each university will be permitted to enroll in 2025 is shown by these caps, which are based on the intake of international students for 2023.
The suggested caps for each Australian institution are shown in the table below,
|
University |
Onshore International Proportion of Enrollments (2023) |
2019 Overseas Student Commencements |
2023 Overseas Student Commencements |
Indicative 2025 Cap |
Percentage Change |
|
Australian Catholic University |
13% |
1273 | 1580 | 1700 |
7.50% |
|
Australian National University |
40% |
2807 | 3972 | 3400 |
-14.50% |
|
Central Queensland University |
23% |
3752 | 2948 | 3000 |
2% |
|
Charles Darwin University |
26% |
523 | 1997 | 2200 |
10% |
|
Charles Sturt University |
2% |
2994 | 162 | 1000 |
517% |
|
Curtin University |
17% |
2118 | 3646 | 3500 |
-4% |
|
Deakin |
21% |
5768 | 5448 | 5800 |
6.50% |
|
Edith Cowan University |
25% |
2488 | 3722 | 3600 |
-3% |
|
Federation University Australia |
35% |
4019 | 2306 | 1100 |
-52% |
|
Flinders University |
21% |
1306 | 2692 | 3000 |
11% |
|
Griffith University |
20% |
2830 | 3817 | 3700 |
-3% |
|
James Cook University |
23% |
1135 | 1962 | 2200 |
12% |
|
La Trobe University |
21% |
3660 | 4095 | 4100 |
0.10% |
|
Macquarie University |
23% |
4036 | 4556 | 4500 |
-1% |
| Monash University |
33% |
9998 | 8310 | 10000 |
20% |
|
Murdoch University |
39% |
1780 | 5272 | 3500 |
-34% |
| Queensland University of Technology |
19% |
3124 | 4618 | 4500 |
-2.50% |
|
RMIT |
29% |
6599 | 6409 | 6600 |
3% |
| Southern Cross University |
20% |
2109 | 939 | 1300 |
38% |
|
Swinburne University of Technology |
24% |
2397 | 4681 | 4500 |
-4% |
| The University of Adelaide | 30% | 3314 | 3155 | 3800 |
20% |
|
The University of Melbourne |
41% | 8600 | 10000 | 9300 | -7% |
|
The University of New South Wales |
39% | 7883 | 11075 | 9500 |
-14% |
| The University of Newcastle | 13% | 1271 | 1565 | 1600 |
2% |
|
The University of Notre Dame Australia |
5% | 26 | 292 | 700 | 140% |
|
The University of Queensland |
39% | 6888 | 7040 | 7050 |
0.10% |
| The University of Sydney | 46% | 11027 | 12790 | 11900 |
-7% |
|
The University of Western Australia |
25% | 1536 | 2742 | 3000 | 9% |
| University of Canberra | 22% | 912 | 1422 | 1500 |
5% |
|
University of New England |
6% | 354 | 681 | 700 | 3% |
| University of South Australia | 17% | 2566 | 2676 | 3050 |
14% |
|
University of Southern Queensland |
10% | 792 | 998 | 1000 | 0.20% |
|
University of Tasmania |
14% | 2155 | 1746 | 2200 |
26% |
| University of Technology Sydney | 25% | 4548 | 4779 | 4800 |
0.40% |
|
University of the Sunshine Coast |
10% | 1188 | 578 | 1200 | 108% |
|
University of Wollongong |
29% | 2980 | 4042 | 3700 |
-8% |
| Victoria University | 33% | 2652 | 4046 | 3600 |
-11% |
| Western Sydney University | 20% | 2640 | 3461 | 3400 |
-2% |
Who is Not Affected?
These modifications won’t impact current international students.
The other student cohorts will not be impacted by the NPL,
International students enrolled in Australian transnational education (TNE) or twinning programs at campuses of Australian providers or partner providers worldwide
School students
Higher degree by research students
Australian Government sponsored (and partner sponsored) scholars
‘Standalone’ ELICOS students
Students from the Pacific and Timor-Leste
Non-award, including Study Abroad and Exchange students
Higher Visa Processing Fees
There are now higher processing fees for visas in addition to the new enrollment caps. The charge reached from AUD 710 to AUD 1,600 as of July 1, which is the biggest rise in the previous 5 years.
When organizing their studies in Australia, international students will also need to consider this additional expense.
Impact on Leading Australian Universities
Australia’s best institutions are going to be seriously affected by the new enrolment limitations.
Four of the famous Group of Eight (Go8) universities; Australian National University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, and University of Sydney are among the 15 universities that are subject to restrictions. International students make up about 40% of all enrolled students at these universities in 2023.
Yet, the number of foreign students will decline beginning around 2025. Compared to 2023, fewer new international students will enroll at the Universities of Melbourne and Sydney, by 7%.
The University of New South Wales and the Australian National University will experience reductions of 14.5% and 14%, respectively, making the cuts even more extreme.
There are institutions with even more dramatic reductions, such as Federation University.
After admitting 2,300 international students in 2023, Federation University will be limited to enrolling roughly 1,100 students in 2025 a decrease of over 50%.
