fbpx
Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
30th Jun 2021

One third of students with Australian study visas remain outside the country

Short on time? Here are the highlights:
  • A new government data release indicates that a third of foreign students holding an Australian study visa are currently located outside the country
  • Overall, the numbers of active student visa holders have declined by more than 30% over the past year

In November 2020, a report from a Victoria University think tank projected that Australia could lose up to half of its foreign enrolment by mid-2021 if the country's borders remained closed to international students.

There have been some hopeful signs of late, with one state-level student arrival programme approved for South Australia and another expected soon for New South Wales. But Australia's borders otherwise have indeed stayed closed to students are largely expected to remain so into 2022.

There were more than 758,000 visa-holding international students studying in Australia in 2019, and the country's accomplishment in building its foreign enrolment base was a global success story with international education one of Australia's largest export sectors. However, continuing data releases from the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) reveal that those forecasts from late-2020 are bearing out at the mid-point of the year.

One March 2020 snapshot from the early stages of the pandemic reported a total of 694,038 Australian student visa holders as of 29 March 2020, with 18% (or roughly 125,400) of those students caught outside the country at that time.

More than a year later, the latest DESE update finds the following as of 28 June 2021.

  • The total number of visa holders has declined by nearly a third (-31.9%) between March 2020 and June 2021, for a current total of 472,615.
  • One third of those visa holders – just under 160,000 students – are currently outside of Australia.
  • Most of those students (85%) that still hold an Australian study visa while outside the country are enrolled in, or intending to join, a higher education institution.

The current DESE statistics are summarised in the following table.

Number and location of Australian student visa holders, by category of study, as of 28 June 2021. Source: DESE

A related DESE commentary from May 2021 notes the economic impact of visa holders studying from outside of the country: "International students studying from outside Australia during the COVID-19 crisis are making an important contribution to the Australian economy. Preliminary data...shows that tuition fees from students outside Australia totalled AUS$3.3 billion in 2020."

Not surprisingly, Chinese students account for a significant proportion – more than half – of all visa holders outside of Australia as of end-June 2021. The additional table below shows the top ten sending countries for Australia, as reflected in current visa holder counts, both for students in and outside of the country.

Number and location of Australian student visa holders for top ten sending markets as of June 2021. Source: DESE

Commenting recently on the continuing border closures, Universities Australia’s Chief Executive Catriona Jackson said:

“Governments across all jurisdictions need to come together with universities to develop a robust plan for the safe return of international students. The plan would mean the careful quarantine of students from low-risk countries. The sector took an AUS$1.8 billion revenue hit last year. Universities Australia conservatively estimates at least another AUS$2 billion will be lost this year – against 2019 actual operating revenue."

"With assumptions around borders being shut until mid-2022 now [factored into government planning], the picture for universities will get worse," she added. "There will be significant flow-on effects for the nation’s research capacity and jobs inside and outside universities. Australia’s university sector cannot sustain these losses without serious damage to national productivity and the country’s knowledge base.”

For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • East African student mobility: Current trends and future possibilities Read More
  • International student scholarships aimed at encouraging a more equitable world Read More
  • How to improve your communications with prospective international students Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

East African student mobility: Current trends and future possibilities A new study, Tibelius Amutuhaire’s Internationalization and Student Mobility: Exploring the Mobility of Higher Education Students in East...
Read more
International student scholarships aimed at encouraging a more equitable world Our recent article, East African student mobility: Current trends and future possibilities, focuses on the need for more...
Read more
US: International education sector braces as a second Trump presidency takes shape The first time Donald Trump was president of the United States, he implemented a ban on travel to...
Read more
Canada aims for more international Francophone students across the country France remains the top destination in the world for international students to learn French and to study in...
Read more
Canada announces international student enrolment cap levels for 2025 The Canadian government has just released information about its target caps for study permit issuance for 2025 and...
Read more
European destinations attracting more international students amid continuing housing challenges Many European countries have welcomed more students than ever over the past few years (e.g., Germany, France, Spain,...
Read more
A big-picture view of international student mobility for secondary studies International education takes shape in a number of different ways across the K-12 sector. There is the burgeoning...
Read more
Tracking the internationalisation goals for 10 leading destinations The following article is adapted from the 2025 edition of ICEF Insights magazine, which is freely available to...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links