International Student Admission Cap in Australia: The admission cap for international students is reduced at 15 Australian universities. See the indicative cap per university for admission in 2025

Some of the top Australian universities are among the list of 15 universities that have received the cut in the cap of allowed international students. 4 of them belong to the famous Group of 8 or Go8 as it is commonly known. These are the Australian National University, the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney. Notably, the proportion of international enrolments for 2023 at these universities was nearly 40%. The indicative cap suggests a reduction of approximately 7% each for the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney compared to the 2023 graduations. Similarly, the cap for the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales has been affected by 14.50% and 14% respectively.

In comparison, the other 4 Go8 universities have seen an increase in the number of international students allowed. Interestingly, the majority of these universities’ international enrolments account for around 30% of their total student enrolments. Monash University, for example, has been given a cap of 10,000 international NOSCs, which is a 20% increase from its 2023 figures of 8310 international student enrolments. In total, 23 universities have seen an increase in the cap.

The university facing the worst impact of the cap appears to be Federation University, which will be prevented from accepting only around 1,100 international students instead of the 2,300 that will be accepted in 2023, a cut of more than 50%. See the indicative caps for Australian universities that would be implemented from 1 January 2025 for international students.

International student admissions caps for Australia: indicative university caps effective from 2025

While this is not a general rule, it was interesting to note that universities that got a reduced cap had over 35% international student enrollment, while universities with a much lower international student enrollment rate saw an increased cap.

The proposed cap has been strongly objected to by Australia’s universities. The draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework released in May this year has been criticised by industry, which has expressed concerns about the implications such a cap would have for the labour market. It is also estimated that the cap could lead to the closure of up to 300 independent universities. Universities have also objected to caps on individual providers and have suggested that a blanket cap would have been better.

The Government has also agreed to support the strategic and sustainable growth of the sector. The cap applies to both higher education and vocational training. The provider cap, known as NPL, will be reviewed annually by the Government and its application will be recommended.