Universities brace for Labor's planned cap on overseas students

International student commencements will be capped next year as the government tries to limit overseas migration.

FILE - In this Dec 1, 2020, file photo, students walk around the University of New South Wales campus in Sydney, Australia. China's government and its supporters have harassed, intimidated and conducted surveillance on pro-democracy Chinese students living in Australia, and Australian universities have failed to protect the students' academic freedoms, Human Rights Watch said in a report published Wednesday, June 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File) Credit: Mark Baker/AP

Key Points

• International student numbers will be capped from next year to 270,000.
• There will be 145,000 places available at publicly funded universities, similar to 2023 levels, whilst vocational education sector will see a 20 per cent reduction on previous levels, with just 95,000 places available.
• With the changes coming in just a few months, universities and training colleges are also scrambling to figure out their approach.