The Australian government announced a new National Planning Level for international student programs in 2025.

Key Points:

  • Effective Jan. 1, 2025, a total of 270,000 new international student commencements for the 2025 calendar year will be allotted under the new National Planning Level limits.
  • The commencements are divided between higher education and vocational education and training.
  • Vocational education and training sector providers will have 95,000 slots and the higher education sector will have 175,000, including:
    • Public universities — 145,000
    • Private universities and non-university higher education providers — 30,000

Additional Information: Current international students will not be affected by these changes, and the allotments do not include enrollments or offers. The following categories of individuals will be excluded: international students enrolled at an Australian provider studying an Australian transnational education or twinning program, students from the Pacific and Timor-Leste, and “standalone” ELICOS students, among others. The complete list of exempted student cohorts not impacted can be found here.

BAL Analysis: The new 2025 student commencement numbers will be set at around 2023 levels — the government aims to decrease the number of foreign students allowed to enter Australia to pre-pandemic levels. The government will allot slots in the vocational education and training sector to provide more training opportunities for international students alongside Australian students.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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