International Students Numbers to Fall by Mid-2021 in Australia

Key Highlights:

• Mitchell Institute Findings on International Students
• Students Inside & Outside Australia
• Impact on Australian Cities
• Wider Economic Muddle
• The Way Out
  
  

COVID-19 to halve the number of international students in Australia by mid-2021.

It is not just the universities that will feel the loss. This can cause a population shock which can get worse with time as per the Mitchell Institute findings.

The think tank on education policy estimates over 300,000 fewer international students by July 2021. This is about half the pre-COVID numbers.

If the pandemic travel restrictions remain it could be much severe. Corona pandemic has already cut the number of international students who would be in Australia by over 210,000.

Where are the students now?

The Australian government has released the data depicting international students location inside and outside Australia. 

International Students Inside & Outside Australia

Number of international students enrolled in Australian universities are now remotely studying outside Australia. Their numbers have increased dramatically from 116,774 to 138,060.

Total number of enrolled students is also down by 12% since March 2020. Newer students are not replacing current students having finished their courses due to border closures.

How will this impact Australian cities?

The latest data was utilized to update previous research done by Mitchell Institute. This was to explore the impact of international students' crises on Australian cities.

It was found that location and density of reduction in international students vary from one city to another.

• It is estimated that 72,000 fewer students are living in Sydney due to the pandemic.

There will be a significant decrease in international students in different ways living in every major Australian city.

Wider Economic Muddle

Since these students spend in the wider economic spectrum, their location is very important. 

• Almost A$21.4 billion (about 57%) of the A$37.5 billion with the international education system in the country come from goods and services utilized by these students.

This is bound to affect several local communities and businesses when international students continue to reside outside of Australia.

What can be done?

There is a contingency plan to bring international students back to Australia. It will be extremely helpful for students whose studies had been disrupted due to the pandemic.

Will these efforts be enough to reverse the downward spiral? 

It is still unclear, but the successful handling of the coronavirus can make Australia a far more attractive study destination when compared to other countries. 

Emphasis placed by the Australian government on the international education sector gives a ray of hope. As it is, there were concerns about Australia’s reliance on international student revenue before the pandemic started.

The return of international students to Australia will ensure that the island nation rebuilds with a sustainable and equitable global education sector.

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