Indian student applications to Australia plummet: What's behind the dramatic dip in numbers

Applications from Indian students—the second highest source country for international education in Australia—have plummeted by 66 per cent, as per a report by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Overall, applications from overseas students have roughly halved since higher fees and tougher rules came into play in July, realising the fears of universities who warned of an economic hit if new government policies lessened the demand for people to study in Australia, the report says.

A sign of Australian government’s crackdown flowing through to the sector, there were drastically fewer applications even from students in South and South-East Asia in July and August this year compared to the one before, while the vocational education sector had one-fifth of the offshore applicants it did a year ago, according to the report.


“There were 15,270 student applicants lodged from offshore in August, less than the 30,703 that were lodged in August 2023, and the lowest monthly number for August outside pandemic years since 2015.”

Numbers were also significantly down in July, with 18,697 students applying offshore compared to 36,207 in 2023, it adds. “Combined, the data available for this financial year shows 22,967 offshore student applications are almost half of the 66,910 from the year before - the lowest total for those two months since 2016.”

Australian High Commission's response:

A spokesperson for the Australian High Commission said that reports that Indian applications for student visas had dropped sharply are "not correct." The vast majority of Indian student visa applications are processed at the High Commission, and demand for student visas for higher education remains buoyant, and in line with recent years, said the spokesperson.

Australia’s crackdown on international students

Australia in May announced a significant hike in the financial requirement for international student visas, aiming to control record migration and address concerns over student exploitation.

The new rule mandated international students to demonstrate savings of at least A$29,710 ($19,576) to qualify for a visa. This is the second increase in about seven months, following a previous hike to A$24,505 from A$21,041 in October.

In March, the government also increased English language requirements for student visas, and has been implementing policies to prevent students from prolonging their stay through various loopholes.