Families choose Australia not only for its quality of education but also for its diversity of educational and cultural experiences, the integrity of its qualifications, and its reputation as safe and friendly.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Australia plays a significant role in international education and is often cited as one of the most popular countries in which to study, alongside the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
All education providers that enrol students on student visas need to be registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). The Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) legislative framework also ensures that CRICOS-registered education providers meet nationally consistent standards in education delivery, facilities, the welfare of younger students, and provides tuition fee protection for international students.
International education is Australia’s fourth largest export industry. Total export income generated by all international education activity in 2025 was $55 billion.
International student enrolments have been significantly impacted by the COVID pandemic. In 2019, total international student enrolments in all Australian education sectors reached 952,379 enrolments, before reducing by 7.6 per cent to 879,873 in 2020 and a further 18.6 per cent to 715,803 in 2021. International student enrolments have since rebounded, increasing to 1,056,653 in 2025.
School students are a small proportion of the total number of international students in Australia, accounting for just over 1.9 per cent of the total number of international students studying in Australia in 2025.
International student enrolments in Australian schools also decreased between 2019 and 2025 by 20 per cent to 20,319 enrolments in 2025. ISA estimates that Independent schools enrol just over 26 per cent of international students in the school sector. International enrolments in Independent schools decreased between 2019 and 2025 by 30 per cent to 5,321 enrolments.
Most international students in Independent schools – 81 per cent – are in the secondary years (with junior secondary accounting for approximately 58 per cent of secondary enrolments). The remaining 19 per cent are in primary schools.
The major source country for both the government and non-government school sectors is China, accounting for 35.7 per cent of total enrolments in 2025. Together, Vietnam, Hong Kong, South Korea and Germany account for a further 36.7 per cent of the total.
The most recent data shows that international student enrolments in all sectors increased by 14 per cent since the start of COVID (between 2019 and 2025) and new student commencements decreased by 6 per cent. Despite the increase in international student enrolments across all sectors since the start of COVID, the school sector is still suffering a decline in international student enrolments of 20 per cent. Similar to new student commencements across all sectors, new student commencements of the school sector declined by 19 per cent over the same period.
This large decline in international student enrolments and commencements between 2020 and 2021 was caused by the ongoing travel restrictions imposed on students due to COVID. Travel restrictions for students were lifted in December 2021.
