The Government of Australia is set to increase the cap on higher education and vocational training enrolments for international students for the academic year 2025–26.
The National Planning Level (NPL) for new enrolments has been raised from 270,000 to 295,000, an increase of 25,000. Through this hike, Australia wants to attract more students from Southeast Asia.
According to Julian Hill, Assistant Minister for International Education, this move represents the government's balanced approach to regulating the international student market while supporting long-term growth, NDTV reports.
"This Government remains committed to sensibly managing the size and shape of the on-shore student market and supporting sustainable growth, especially to welcome more students from Southeast Asia and be accompanied by new housing," Hill said.
He added, "We want students to see Australia as a premium destination where they can access high-quality education and a great student experience."
Under the amended cap, public and private higher education institutions would share 196,750 student spaces, while vocational training providers would receive 98,250 slots.
According to the Department of Education's rules, public institutions can expand their NPL intake by up to 9 per cent, whilst for-profit private colleges can only increase by 3 per cent. All institutions will maintain at least the same number of student slots as in 2024-25.
The revised NPL comes amid indications of underutilisation in some areas. According to Department of Home Affairs figures, only 234,040 student visas were issued to international applicants in 2024-25, far less than the 270,000 quota.
This figure includes exemptions such as students in ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) and K-12 schooling.
