The University of New South Wales in Australia said it was freezing international student admissions for the 2025 academic year and keeping their applicants on a waiting list. The declaration was made in reaction to the changes to the Australian Government’s policy limiting international student enrollments which include the proposed amendments to the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act.
The new standards will drastically reduce the number of new enrollments UNSW is expected to attract internationally to a mere 9,500 students in 2025. These are 14% fewer than those recorded in 2023 and significantly below the estimated 17,000 international students for this year. The balance available space will be allocated on a waitlist system that will require the computation of merit points to select students to admissions.
According to a UNSW spokesman, this is the first time that there has been such unprecedented demand for places in the university as well as its strong academic reputation and quality programs. Without such proactive endeavors, the institution would risk getting past a new enrollment cap.
At present, it is Australia’s third-highest ranked university. So far, the institution has only learned from other similar choices like the Australian Catholic University, which said that it has stopped accepting international students for admission into the 2025 intake since it reached its cap.
There is a lot of discussion around the recommended reduction in international student caps that affect 15 of Australia’s 38 public universities. These affected institutions happen to be some of the most recognized ones in Australia. They are Australian National University and the University of Melbourne. Reforms to the ESOS Act are to be tabled for discussion in Australia’s Senate on November 18, which means that new rules come into force from January 1, 2025.
International students continue flowing into Australia, with a total number at nearly 944,000 as of July 2024-a 14% increase compared to last year. Vietnam is one among the top five countries that international students hail from in Australia.
