Find out how Australia hopes to maintain integrity in education and sustainable growth with its new limits on international students starting in 2025. Find out more about reforms and exemptions.

Improving the integrity and viability of Australia’s overseas education sector is a top priority for the Albanese government. The government declared in May that it would impose restrictions on the quantity of foreign students that education providers might enrol as part of their efforts. This is to make sure that the industry keeps its social license and grows in a sustainable way.

National Planning Level (NPL)

Beginning in 2025, the government will implement a National Planning Level (NPL) for newly enrolled overseas students in order to control this expansion. The NPL, which will be split between the higher education and vocational education and training (VET) sectors, will be set at 270,000 for the calendar year 2025. This will ensure a more controlled and sustainable growth trajectory by returning the number of overseas students to pre-pandemic levels.

Exemptions from NPL

The following student groups will not be subject to the NPL:

– School students
– Higher degree by research students
– Students undertaking standalone English language courses (ELICOS)
– Non-award students
– Australian Government sponsored scholars
– Students in Australian transnational education or twinning arrangements
– Key partner foreign government scholarship holders
– Students from the Pacific and Timor-Leste

Higher Education Sector

The planned growth strategy will enable roughly 145,000 additional international student commencements at publicly financed universities in 2025, bringing total enrolment up to 2023 levels. Additionally, this strategy helps universities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. An International Student Profile (ISP) will specify individual limitations based on the percentage of international students in their onshore cohorts and the most current levels of new international student commencements.

Future Growth and Student Housing

As part of their growth objectives, universities will be encouraged by the government to provide more housing for students, both domestic and foreign, starting in 2026.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sector

In 2025, there will be about 95,000 new overseas students enrolled in VET programs. In order to promote diversity, providers with a higher proportion of overseas students will be allotted a less amount. By giving overseas students greater opportunity to train alongside Australian students, these modifications aim to strengthen the integrity of the industry and improve the experience of studying abroad.

Transition to New System

Ministerial Direction 107 will be replaced on January 1, 2025, subject to legislation passing. The new system of regulated growth and increased integrity measures will take its place. The goal of the reforms is to establish a long-lasting, reputable international education system that can expand gradually over time.

These initiatives demonstrate the government’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the industry while promoting sustainable growth that will benefit both overseas students and the larger Australian community.