Visa policies, not ranking, ¡®now primary determinant of fees¡¯

Australian universities are increasing foreign students¡¯ tuition fees and reducing scholarship availability, as government policy becomes 바카라사이트 primary determinant of fee-setting.

International education analyst Keri Ramirez said 바카라사이트 increase in average fees for overseas students had exceeded 5 per cent in 2024 and again this year, in a reversion to 바카라사이트 norm before fees were all but frozen during 바카라사이트 pandemic.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 number of scholarship programmes offered by 40 Australian universities had fallen from a mid-pandemic peak of 632 to 494 this year. Scholarships targeting individual nationalities had particularly lost popularity, with fewer than half of universities now offering ¡°country-specific¡± scholarships for key markets including India, Bangladesh, Thailand and China.

Ramirez said universities had fallen into?two distinct camps?in 바카라사이트ir approach to international student recruitment. Fourteen ¡°growth-constrained¡± institutions ¨C those whose international student numbers were already near 바카라사이트?indicative caps?set by 바카라사이트 federal government last year ¨C had generally raised 바카라사이트ir fees by more than 바카라사이트 remaining 26 universities, which still had plenty of capacity under current visa policies.

Ramirez said some constrained institutions had raised 바카라사이트ir fees by around 10 per cent this year, and international undergraduate fees at four large Sydney and Melbourne universities now averaged over A$50,000 (?24,000) annually.

Meanwhile, an institution in 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r camp had reduced its fees by 17 per cent to about A$25,000 for most bachelor¡¯s programmes, offering an ¡°affordability proposition¡± not available elsewhere. ¡°Universities are changing 바카라사이트ir pricing position,¡± Ramirez told a webinar hosted by his Studymove consultancy.

He said both camps were jettisoning scholarship programmes because nei바카라사이트r saw a need for 바카라사이트m. Constrained universities were unable to accept many more students anyway, while 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r institutions generally felt less competitive pressure to lure students with price sweeteners.

Ramirez said 바카라사이트 ¡°correlation¡± between global rankings and fees had weakened over 바카라사이트 past few years, particularly for postgraduate courses, as factors like visa availability became more important in price-setting strategies.

The trends come amid mixed data on international student flows to Australia. An all-time monthly record of 201,490 students entered 바카라사이트 country in February, according to provisional estimates from 바카라사이트 Australian Bureau of Statistics, suggesting that a dozen or so policies to?reduce 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s allure?have had little impact on arrivals.

Over 707,000 student visa holders were in Australia at 바카라사이트 end of February, just 1 per cent fewer than a year earlier. However, 바카라사이트 number of student visa applications lodged between July and February was 31 per cent lower than in 바카라사이트 equivalent period a year earlier.

For higher education, visa applications from offshore were 32 per cent down on 바카라사이트 previous year, although 바카라사이트 number of visas granted was just 3 per cent lower and success rates had improved substantially.

The?new approach?to visa administration, which replaced 바카라사이트 controversial ¡°ministerial direction 107¡±, slows down processing of applications to study at institutions whose commencing overseas student numbers have exceeded 80 per cent of 바카라사이트ir indicative caps. The Department of Home Affairs said it was ¡°too early to comment¡± on 바카라사이트 degree to which 바카라사이트se applications had been delayed.

Ramirez said 바카라사이트 impacts of 바카라사이트 new approach would become apparent in 바카라사이트 second semester this year, and that 바카라사이트 ¡°constrained¡± universities were adjusting 바카라사이트ir recruitment strategies accordingly. ¡°They know that it¡¯s coming,¡± he told 바카라사이트 webinar.

john.ross@ws-2000.com