Australian universities are considering staff cuts after tighter student-visa rules cut enrolments and tuition income, with official data showing rejection rates for university applicants from Nigeria and Kenya rising to almost 80 per cent in September from below 10 per cent a year earlier.
The refusal figures come from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs data, reported by Times Higher Education and cited by Business Insider Africa. September visa applications from higher-education students outside Australia fell 43 per cent year on year, while issuances fell 42 per cent.
Murdoch University in Perth is reviewing operations after its international enrolments fell. Vice-chancellor Andrew Deeks told staff the changes had “significantly decreased our international student numbers both this year but also on an ongoing basis,” requiring spending cuts in next year’s budget. Western Australia’s refusal rates ran up to 17 percentage points above the national average, he said.
Charles Sturt University has warned it may need to cut about 100 full-time positions after a plunge in international tuition revenue. Adelaide University is projecting a 90 million Australian dollar shortfall and has proposed a voluntary early retirement scheme, with enrolments down to about 16,700 from about 20,800 a year earlier.
Times Higher Education reported that industry figures described the measures as “overkill” that punishes genuine applicants, with prospective students increasingly shortlisting other countries.
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