Australian universities are financial black holes

Advertisement

Australia’s universities must rank as the nation’s most poorly run organisations.

The number of commencing full-fee-paying international students hit a record high of 215,000 in 2024, roughly triple the number recorded in 2005.

International student university commencements

The total number of international enrolments also hit a record high of 499,371 in 2024, nearly triple the 178.806 total enrolments recorded in 2005.

Advertisement
International student university enrolments

The full text of this article is available to MacroBusiness subscribers

$1 for your first month, then:
Cancel at any time through our billing provider, Stripe
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.