Australia sets new limit on international student enrollment for 2025: Check university-wise cap for upcoming admission session

7 months ago 190

Australia has recently announced plans to limit the number of international students allowed to study in the country from the next academic session. This initiative, termed the "National Planning Level" (NPL), will cap the number of new overseas student commencements (NOSC) at 270,000, starting from January 1, 2025. The proposal, still pending parliamentary approval, aims to manage record migration rates that have substantially impacted housing costs and infrastructure.
The cap on international students will be distributed among various education sectors in Australia.

Publicly funded universities will be permitted to enroll around 145,000 new international students in 2025, maintaining the intake levels seen in 2023. The Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector will admit about 95,000 new students.
Institutions that heavily rely on international students will receive a lower allocation to promote diversification, while other universities and non-university providers will have their intake capped at 30,000. This marks the lowest intake of international students in the past five years, a significant decrease from the 561,000 international students who commenced studies in 2023.
The introduction of the cap has sparked strong objections from various Australian universities and education stakeholders. According to the Draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework released in May, there are concerns that the new cap could negatively affect the job market and might lead to the closure of up to 300 independent colleges. Universities have also criticized the imposition of individual provider limits, suggesting that an overall cap would be a more equitable approach. Despite these objections, the government insists that the cap is designed to promote the sustainable growth of the education sector.

The official notice states, "From 1 January 2025, the Australian Government is setting the total number of new overseas student commencements at higher education and vocational education and training institutions in Australia each year under the National Planning Level. This number will be reviewed and agreed upon by the Government annually."

Detailed Caps for Australian Universities

Below is a table outlining the proposed caps for each Australian university, comparing the onshore international proportion of enrollments from 2023 to the indicative 2025 cap:

University	Onshore International Proportion of Enrollments (2023)	2019 Overseas Student Commencements	2023 Overseas Student Commencements	Indicative 2025 Cap	Percentage Change
Australian Catholic University	13%	1273	1580	1700	7.50%
Australian National University	40%	2807	3972	3400	-14.50%
Central Queensland University	23%	3752	2948	3000	2%
Charles Darwin University	26%	523	1997	2200	10%
Charles Sturt University	2%	2994	162	1000	517%
Curtin University	17%	2118	3646	3500	-4%
Deakin	21%	5768	5448	5800	6.50%
Edith Cowan University	25%	2488	3722	3600	-3%
Federation University Australia	35%	4019	2306	1100	-52%
Flinders University	21%	1306	2692	3000	11%
Griffith University	20%	2830	3817	3700	-3%
James Cook University	23%	1135	1962	2200	12%
La Trobe University	21%	3660	4095	4100	0.10%
Macquarie University	23%	4036	4556	4500	-1%
Monash University	33%	9998	8310	10000	20%
Murdoch University	39%	1780	5272	3500	-34%
Queensland University of Technology	19%	3124	4618	4500	-2.50%
RMIT	29%	6599	6409	6600	3%
Southern Cross University	20%	2109	939	1300	38%
Swinburne University of Technology	24%	2397	4681	4500	-4%
The University of Adelaide	30%	3314	3155	3800	20%
The University of Melbourne	41%	8600	10000	9300	-7%
The University of New South Wales	39%	7883	11075	9500	-14%
The University of Newcastle	13%	1271	1565	1600	2%
The University of Notre Dame Australia	5%	26	292	700	140%
The University of Queensland	39%	6888	7040	7050	0.10%
The University of Sydney	46%	11027	12790	11900	-7%
The University of Western Australia	25%	1536	2742	3000	9%
University of Canberra	22%	912	1422	1500	5%
University of New England	6%	354	681	700	3%
University of South Australia	17%	2566	2676	3050	14%
University of Southern Queensland	10%	792	998	1000	0.20%
University of Tasmania	14%	2155	1746	2200	26%
University of Technology Sydney	25%	4548	4779	4800	0.40%
University of the Sunshine Coast	10%	1188	578	1200	108%
University of Wollongong	29%	2980	4042	3700	-8%
Victoria University	33%	2652	4046	3600	-11%
Western Sydney University	20%	2640	3461	3400	-2%

Increased Visa Processing Fees
In conjunction with the new enrollment cap, the Australian government has also increased the visa processing fees from AUD 710 to AUD 1,600, effective from July 1. This represents the steepest rise in visa fees over the past five years, further impacting the overall cost for prospective international students.
What will be impact on Australian Universities
The cap has had a particularly strong impact on some of Australia's top universities. Among the 15 universities affected, four are part of the prestigious Group of Eight (Go8): Australian National University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, and University of Sydney. These universities, which had nearly 40% international enrollment in 2023, will see significant reductions in their international student numbers. For instance, the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney will both face a 7% reduction compared to their 2023 intake levels. The Australian National University and the University of New South Wales will face cuts of 14.5% and 14%, respectively.
Other institutions, like Federation University, are facing even more substantial cuts. Federation University, for example, will only be allowed to admit approximately 1,100 international students in 2025, down from 2,300 in 2023—a reduction of over 50%.

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