International students are heading to Canada, the UK and the US in record numbers despite the pandemic, new research by the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University shows. But Australia and New Zealand continue to experience a dramatic drop in new international students. Our report, Student, interrupted: international education and the pandemic, examined five major destinations for international students: […] … learn more→

Driven largely by the global pandemic, the number of international students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities fell by 15% – or 161,401 students – from 2019 to 2020. However, early data for 2021 indicate the number might bounce back soon. This is according to new data from the Institute of International Education and the U.S. State […] … learn more→

The Strategy for International Education released today by the federal government highlights the importance of international education to the Australian economy and community. But, with the arrival of COVID-19, commencing international student numbers fell dramatically by 22% in 2020. The impacts prompted the government to further rethink its ten-year plan for international education and exposure to risks in foreign markets, […] … learn more→

It’s looking much more likely that international students will be able to return for the first semester next year, with international travel for Australians opening up from November 1. From that date, there will be no cap on the number of fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents able to fly into New South Wales. In response to […] … learn more→

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the face of international higher education. The sector, previously dominated by the US, UK and Australia, is losing billions to falling international student enrolments. However, our research identifies a golden opportunity for Australia to rebound as a top international study destination – but that depends on an urgent and proactive response to the […] … learn more→

When Australians think of international education and China, they typically consider the country as a source of international students — Australia’s largest. But China is now one of the leading host countries of international students in the world. China’s level of international education policymaking over the past decade, backed up by strategic priorities, has been unprecedented. My recently published research shows Chinese […] … learn more→

Like many US higher education leaders, I greeted with relief the Biden administration’s recent announcement that, from August 1, the US will begin to re-admit students from Brazil, China, India, Iran, South Africa, the UK and the European Schengen area. This is great news, both as a first step towards reopening our borders and as an opportunity […] … learn more→

Victorian universities recently re-proposed a previously conceived plan to get international students back under a similar model used to fly in tennis players for the Australian Open. Under the proposal, universities would help pay for around 1,000 foreign students to be flown into Melbourne every two to three weeks and placed into special lockdown arrangements. Similar plans […] … learn more→

Over the past four years, the Trump administration made it increasingly difficult for students from other countries to study in the United States. In 2017, the number of new international students enrolled at American colleges and universities – that is, those just coming to the U.S. for the first time – declined for the first year on record. Restrictive […] … learn more→

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about two in every five international students enrolled in Australian higher education institutions were from mainland China. These Chinese students brought in more than $A10 billion a year. During the pandemic, Australian universities have struggled to retain and recruit international students. The first returning students are due to fly out under a pilot scheme this weekend, arriving in Darwin […] … learn more→