40,000 Chinese students could come to Australia

A surprise decision could see 40,000 Chinese students flood Australia, as the Chinese government bans online study at foreign universities.

A shock decision by the Chinese government could see 40,000 Chinese students flood Australia, with a recent surprise ban on citizens studying online at foreign universities. Aussie universities heralded the ban, in the hopes it would cause a surge in international students who largely abandoned Australian schooling at the start of the pandemic. 

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said the shock directive would encourage some 40,000 Chinese students – who are a lucrative source of income in higher education – to return. But, with a new university semester just weeks away, Ms Jackson warned of considerable logistical hurdles to accommodate the new arrivals.

“We will be working closely with government and industry to ensure universities can quickly respond to this influx and facilitate the safe return of students from China as well as students from other nations,” Ms Jackson said.

The Chinese government announced the ban with little warning on Sunday, forcing its citizens to return to overseas campuses should they wish to continue foreign study. 

From semester one, 2023 — which typically begins in a matter of weeks, and has already kicked off at some campuses — remote study for an overseas university degree would no longer be accredited in China, the country’s education ministry said. 

Australia’s education sector suffered a serious financial blow at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when border closures forced lucrative full-fee paying international students to head home. Many paused their studies, migrated elsewhere, or never returned.

Government figures showed that more than 40,000 Chinese students with student visas were outside of Australia in November, and this figure does not include students still awaiting visa approval. 

Education was Australia’s fifth largest export in 2021, nearly as valuable as gold. It’s value nearly halved between 2019 and 2021, though, plummeting from $40.3 billion to $22.0 billion.

“Working back to this position of strength we held prior to the pandemic is in the interest of universities and our nation,” Ms Jackson said.

With a staggering number of students still studying online, the University of Sydney said it was working to get the majority of its cohort back by semester one. 

“We are aware of the short-term logistic challenges and will be working with the Australian government on this,” a university spokesperson said.

Australia’s higher education regulator last year set a July 2023 deadline for international students to return. Chinese students took to social media to lament their own government’s decision, complaining of a lack of warning. 

“The university starts on the 20th of February … Australia notified us a year in advance that we must return for the second semester of 2023, but you are notifying us now … Why don’t you just let the students sleep on the street? Can’t you just let people prepare in advance?!” one student said on Chinese social media platform Weibo.