MRC Report: Breaking Universities' Addiction to International Students

Breaking Universities' Addiction to International Students

Published: August 2024

Author: Nico Louw

Australia has the highest proportion of international students of any large developed country.

In 2019, 28.4 per cent of tertiary students in Australia were international students, almost three times the OECD average of 10.1 per cent.

This report makes the case that our universities have become so focused on chasing international student revenue that they are neglecting their core mission, as publicly funded institutions, of delivering a high quality education to Australian domestic students.

The report makes five recommendations aimed at increasing the educational quality of universities and improving transparency in the way international student numbers are reported, including capping the proportion of international students at 25% in all courses.