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→

Australian universities have come to rely heavily on revenue from onshore international students. Numbers more than doubled in the decade to 2018. But the proposition that Australia’s public universities should step back 50 years, retreat from international education and focus wholly or largely on domestic students is naively nostalgic. Such a move would be a backward step […] … learn more→

COVID-19 has not stopped international education. As of August 24, 524,000 international students were living among us in Australian cities and communities. They represent 78% of all student visa holders, according to data the Department of Home Affairs provided to us. These students are potential ambassadors for Australia and our institutions. They could help shape […] … learn more→

International students made up more than 30% of the population in some Australian suburbs, before borders closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Mitchell Institute mapped where international students lived using data from the ABS census and Department of Home Affairs. The results show striking growth in capital cities, and in some regional areas. The mapping […] … learn more→

A recent statement from China’s education bureau warned Chinese students about studying in Australia due to “racist incidents” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such statements, and further moves from China’s education agents threatening to redirect students towards international competitors such as the United Kingdom, can negatively affect Australia as a study destination. Australia’s universities are already reeling from the loss […] … learn more→

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer and fewer international students were coming to study in the United States. While the number of international students who newly enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities during the 2015-2016 school year stood at more than 300,000, by the 2018-2019 school year, that number had fallen by about 10% to less than 270,000. […] … learn more→