The Group of Eight’s Post

Simon Emmett, IDP Connect UK & Ireland is correct, it is not even so much the quantum of #internationalstudent caps &/or rising visa costs / proof of funds, but the message this sends to prospective students & importantly #agents. If agents feel the application / visa process is likely to be more complex, with less chance of success, with many options on offer they will advise students to go elsewhere! We are already seeing this in #ASEAN, where Australia has until recently been a firm favourite, now less so. “Labor’s strict new #internationalstudent caps are already pushing applicants to consider countries other than #Australia, with a new report showing growth in competitor markets including the #US & #Canada amid ongoing policy uncertainty here. The student caps are yet to pass parliament but #research by the country’s largest listed international education provider, IDP Education, found they are already having the desired effect of slowing arrivals. Policy uncertainty, #visa fees & #graduate work rights are also causing would-be enrollees to look elsewhere, or put their overseas #study plans on hold, the report found. Moves to cap #overseasstudent numbers at 270,000 in 2025 have angered Australia’s $51 billion #internationaleducation sector. #Universities are planning major #job cuts & the Reserve Bank of Australia has warned of a hit to consumer spending. Labor is pressing ahead as part of pre-election positioning on slowing overseas immigration. IDP surveyed 6000 prospective & current students from markets around the world. Nearly two-thirds said they would change their destination of choice because of #poststudywork visa access rules, while 58% nominated lower personal savings requirements & 57% said cheaper visa processing fees as major considerations. The report found Canada recorded the highest rate of student decliners – those going elsewhere after originally intending to study in the country - followed by Australia. Both countries remain a destination of choice, but markets including the US & #Ireland are rising … In June, IDP Education Ltd told investors it would cut costs – with earnings expected to drop by almost a third in this half – in response to more restrictive immigration & visa policies in Australia, Canada and the UK.” Asia Careers Group SDN BHD - Investing in International Futures AUIDF Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN Universities) British Council BUILA Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) Innovative Research Universities (IRU) Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS) Regional Universities Network The Group of Eight UCAS UKCISA Universities Australia Universities Canada Universities UK Universities UK International

Australia Sets New Cap on International Student Enrolments for 2025! The Australian government has introduced a new cap on international student enrolments starting in 2025 to manage the growing demand for quality education and infrastructure. Here’s what you need to know:  145,000 places will be available at public universities.  95,000 commencements will be allowed in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.  30,000 places will be allocated to other universities and education providers. This policy aims to balance international student intake while ensuring the sustainability of housing, infrastructure, and student services. Read more about this significant policy shift and its implications here: https://lnkd.in/d_z2UzMN #StudyInAustralia #InternationalEducation #HigherEducation #StudentExperience #SustainableGrowth #AustraliaStudyAbroad #RiseHigherEducation #GlobalStudents

🚨 Uncertainty Over International Student Caps 🇦🇺 With just two weeks left in Parliament, the fate of the proposed 270,000 international student cap for 2025 remains unclear. Universities are in chaos, with some pausing applications and others issuing offers—no one knows if the caps will be passed or applied retroactively. Education Minister Jason Clare says the changes are needed to manage migration, but the sector warns it’s creating chaos and uncertainty. Will the bill pass in time?What’s next for Australia’s education future? The countdown is on—decisions are being made now. Stay tuned! 👇 #InternationalStudents #StudyInAustralia #HigherEd #EducationPolicy #Migration #UniversityNews #AustralianUniversities

#Internationalstudent caps represent a “slippery slope,” when it comes to restricting global #studentmobility. When we look to #Canada, the cap was set 20% lower & now for the coming year a further 10% reduction. #Australia have followed suit with caps imposed for 2025. While in the UK we felt we may have “dodged a bullet” we are astounded to hear that Universities UK the organisation with the responsibility of representing the sector along side colleagues in Universities UK International have suggested within their #UUK blueprint proposals on institutions “managing international student populations” in order to placate a government worried about #immigration & allow their #university members to raise domestic tuition fees! This is a disastrous move! A slippery slope, just ask the #internationaleducation sector in Canada. Why would those tasked with representing the sector & their autonomy, even consider restricting university untied income in the form of international #tuition, particularly when we consider many #universities are in dire financial straits & growing international #studentrecruitment is a significant means of generating additional income! Most will appreciate universities are fiercely autonomous & at a time when increasing revenues to ensure #highered does not rely on government #bailouts, why would you restrict the ability for institutions to be financially self sustaining? There is no issue with UK universities #recruiting more international students with the caveat that all universities that #recruit overseas, should support their international students transition to successful #careers back in their home countries on completion of their UK #degree. This is only possible if they have access to robust representative Non-EU #graduateoutcomes data, something HESA: Higher Education Statistics Agency has failed to provide since 2019. This data is now available to all UK universities from Asia Careers Group SDN BHD, subscribe to our Newsletter International #Education Insight here: https://lnkd.in/e5c_CSE4 Vivienne Stern #UUK’s CEO, said the sector needed to think about the impact of #internationalstudents, & take into account potential flashpoints such as availability of rental accommodation & what support universities provide when increasing student intakes.” It is worth mentioning that it was the taught #masters students ability to bring dependents, now reduced by the dependents ban, that put the most pressure on housing & public services (schools, GP surgeries & social services etc.) We hear roumours the sector is lobbying to reintroduce dependent visas, which when it comes to winning allies in government is a very bad idea! Asia Careers Group SDN BHD - Investing in International Futures AGCAS British Council BUILA Department for Business and Trade Department for Education Higher Education Policy Institute Jacqui Smith Jisc Office for Students UCAS UKCISA Universities Scotland Universities Wales

Could the US benefit from the international student backlash elsewhere? International students represent 22% of higher education institution enrolments in the United Kingdom, 24% in Australia and 30% in Canada – enormous percentages highlighting their dependency on international education. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gNpqzKhu #ISDCGlobal #highereducation #ISDC #UK #internationalstudents

More negative commentary on the Australian Government’s proposed caps on student numbers. They are suggesting there should be caps on institutions, on nationalities studying, and on the courses that they study. Apparently teaching a large number of students business or IT )which has scale economies) is out of the question. We asked one senior person involved whether there would be visa caps applied to private higher education providers, and apparently the “quality” ones will get a quota. There is no understanding in government that private higher education is a legitimate, parallel system that exists to provide an education at a reasonable cost to a student that wishes to study in Australia. All of their thinking assumes that there are universities, who will be required to teach subjects that address skills and vocations that Australia needs; everyone else is invisible.

Naresh Gulati writes here from personal experience and perspective as a former international student. The political and media lens on the ESOS Amendment Bill is forgetting there are young students involved who are future allies, friends and business partners of Australia. How can this be good for our reputation as a nation? How are our international students studying with us right now supposed to feel? Time to remember the students involved... #recruitmenttechnology #pienews #highereducation #universities #intled #digitalmarketing #studentrecruitment #studentmarketing #icefmonitor #IEAA #Timeshighereducation #AscentOne #bpointelligence

Great idea or short sighted policy…caps on international student numbers? While we wait for the Senate’s education committee report, on 15 August, it’s important to remember the bigger economic picture of this sector. “In 2023, international education was also Australia’s fourth largest export valued at $48 billion. Of this, $17 billion was collected in course fees and the remaining $31 billion was spent in the broader economy”. Do you support caps on international student numbers to our shores or should we look at other solutions to the housing crisis? Easy 6 min read. https://lnkd.in/gYUch2_z

Another great news after introducing a National Student Ombudsman is that the Universities Accord report has proposed easier permanent residency and housing for international students. The report calls for improvements in transparency and communication about the Australian visa system to enhance migration outcomes and mitigate issues related to a 'permanently temporary' visa status. The government can also develop suitable risk-management strategies for international education, including consideration of access to and availability of affordable student housing. This is incredible news for Australia's ability to attract and retain future talent. #highered #education #australia

I love the question this article poses. Back in the day in Ontario, colleges wrestled with this question and then many said screw it. Some hung on to enrollment management and they are most likely best set to weather the incoming storm. What about how many international students in a program being limited to no more than 50%. Of that no more than 50% from one country. The Nova Scotia International Student Program for high schools has forced diversity and while not easy, it works. We would have to think about what works best for education, teaching, and learning rather than what generates the most revenue. Radical thought. https://lnkd.in/gSn76UYt