There were 123,968 overseas commencing students recorded as of May 1, down from 130,415 at the same point in 2025 – a decline of 4.9%, according to figures released by Australia’s Department of Education on October 15.
Overall overseas enrolments were broadly flat, falling slightly from 474,716 to 472,245, or 0.5%. This marks a break from strong growth in recent years, with overseas enrolments at the same point of the year having risen from 355,425 in 2023 to 423,803 in 2024 and 474,716 in 2025.
The department said changes to policy settings and macroeconomic conditions affecting international students had influenced trends in both enrolments and commencements.
The decline comes amid a tightening of Australia’s international education and migration settings, including a 295,000 National Planning Level (NPL) for new overseas student commencements in 2026 and a visa‑processing system that prioritises applications according to providers’ progress against their indicative allocations.
The government has also introduced tougher student visa integrity measures in recent years, including stricter financial and English‑language requirements, the Genuine Student test and substantially higher visa application charges.
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