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International studentsInternational students
The largest group of migrant arrivals to Australia is temporary students, with about 315,000 new overseas students commencing study in the higher education and vocational sectors last year. In the 2025 federal election campaign, both parties pledged to cap or reduce the annual student intake.
This year, more than half of Australians (56%) say the number of international students enrolled at Australian universities is either ‘about right’ (49%) or ‘too low’ (7%). However, 42% say the student intake is ‘too high’.
About the author
Ryan Neelam
Ryan Neelam was Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute. He led the flagship annual Lowy Institute Poll, was project director for the Global Diplomacy Index, and wrote about climate diplomacy and multilateral policy.
