Australia struggles with international enrollment

Officials are beginning to assess the negative impact of the pandemic on Australian international student enrollment. Australia has become increasingly reliant on international students, especially coming from China, as a major revenue source for higher education. Closing borders to deter the spread of COVID-19 is having a direct impact now and the enrollment and budget woes are likely to last at least another five years.

Contrasting Australia to competing nations, William Locke, director of Melbourne's Center for the Study of Higher Education, said "it may help that the main competitors for Australian universities, the U.S. and the U.K., are in a much worse situation with the pandemic and the political turmoil of Trump's and Brexit." He went on to say that "Any announcements about loosening restrictions will need to be made sooner rather than later, giving time for students and universities to prepare and to give a positive message about Australia being fully open again in 2022."