What crackdown? International student numbers hit new high

Friday 28 February 2025

The purported “crackdown” on international student numbers has failed to dampen numbers, with new Department of Education data showing record enrolments and commencements in the year to November 2024.

As the following chart illustrates, there were 1,081,300 international student enrolments as of November 2024, up 120,454 (12.5%) from the previous record set in 2023.

International student enrolments grew an extraordinary 444,156 (70%) between 2015 and 2024.

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.