International student numbers set to rebound hard

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Research by education policy think tank the Mitchell Institute suggests that Australia and New Zealand can expect the “flow” of overseas students to return to pre-pandemic levels once international borders re-open. However, the Institute suggests that it could take some time to achieve the same number of overseas students that studied in Australia before the pandemic:

Our report examined student visa data to understand the impact of the pandemic on prospective international students. Student visa data are a leading indicator, as most students normally need a visa before they can enrol.

The chart below shows the total numbers of new student visas each country granted in the 12 months to September in each year from 2018 to 2021. The pandemic resulted in new student numbers falling in all countries. But some have been more affected than others.

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.