IHEA Opposes Caps on New International Student Commencements

Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA) has today repeated strong opposition to the proposed Bill granting the Minister new powers over the indicative caps on international student commencements for the 2025 academic year.

In the event the Government persists with this unwise and rushed course of action, IHEA insists that any capping regime must be fair and equitable, ensuring that allocations are not made arbitrarily between public and private providers.

We are advocating for a fairer treatment of independent providers by proposing an allocation of 40,950 commencements, an increase of 10,950 from the current proposal. IHEA emphasises the necessity of safeguarding the 2019 levels of international student commencements for independent providers.

“This measure is crucial to maintain stability and support the growth of these providers, who play a significant role in the international education market,” said Dr Peter Hendy, CEO of IHEA. “These changes are essential to prevent arbitrary allocations and ensure fairness across the sector.”

The Government has not made data publicly available that would allow a comparison of the different sector caps with previous years. As such, IHEA has used data that is available on ‘new’ international student commencements.

Proposal for Fairer Distribution

IHEA has proposed an amendment to the current formula governing these caps, advocating for a fairer distribution of international student commencements across the higher education sector.

Read the full media release below.