Even before the pandemic added to their financial stresses, a survey of international students suggests more than 20,000 were renting beds that are available to them for only certain hours.
The focus on rankings has been more a symptom than a cause of the challenge Australian universities face, namely a structural change in their revenue base.
Food insecurity affected many students even before the pandemic hit, with international students the worst hit. But students and universities have shown a lot can be done to end the problem.
Chinese international students stuck offshore due to border closures face shame, family tension and pressure to give up their dreams of studying in Australia. Some are even being urged to get married.
If one in five international students don’t re-enrol, the loss of revenue would plunge half of all Australian universities into budget deficit or financial turmoil.
The residential hall for international and local university students equipped them for a globalised world, more than anything they could learn in a class.
Student mental health was already an issue before the pandemic. And then students felt the strain on all fronts as studies went online and they lost jobs and social contacts.
Australia has student accommodation with nearly 100,000 beds, many now empty. The large purpose-built student housing facilities are well suited for quarantining returning international students.
The first batch of returning international students are due to fly in this weekend, but Australia has a lot of work to do to maintain its pre-COVID share of the global education market.
The number of students studying in the United States from other countries has continued to fall during the Trump presidency. An expert explains what that means for US students and the US economy.
Educating international students provides far more benefits for Australia than is commonly acknowledged. But it has also created problems and an ambitious agenda is needed to overcome these.
The halving of international student numbers living in Australia to 300,000 is a huge hit to universities’ revenue. But our cities and businesses will also feel the loss of so many residents.
To ensure foreign workers continue to view Canada as a place to live and work, the government must find a way to keep borders open to all workers essential to the post-pandemic economic recovery.
An effort by the Trump administration to put stricter limits on students and scholars from certain countries may cost a lot and accomplish little, an international education expert argues.
International school enrolments have flatlined over the period 2016-2019, even as tertiary enrolments increased by more than 30% across the same period.
A collapse in revenue and a lack of government support have led to university workforces being decimated to cut costs. This presents a number of longer-term risks for universities and the nation.
We estimate the reduction in international student fees will lead to a loss of 5,100 to 6,100 researchers by 2024, with some universities more affected than others.