Explore key data and trends in Victoria's international education sector with our top charts on education-related services exports, student enrolments, commencements, sector share, top student nationalities, and offshore primary student visas.
Emerging trends
September 2026
- Cost and visa certainty reshape student choices: Among 870 agents across 64 countries, cost of study was the leading driver of student choice, followed by post-study work rights and quality of education. Trust in destinations is shifting with New Zealand strongest overall, Australia remaining competitive, Canada improving, the UK declining and the US weakest. Students are applying more broadly across countries, keeping home country-back up plans (Navitas, August 2026).
- PBSA demand is strong, but visa policy and costs are slowing growth: Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) fundamentals remain positive, with strong Semester 1 occupancy in Australian capital cities and a growing national pipeline. However, growth is being tempered by government visa policy and higher construction costs, with new projects likely to stay focused on premium inner-city markets near Group of Eight universities (Urbis, August 2026).
April 2026
- Global trends in international enrolments and policies heading into 2026: By the end of 2025, education providers across major global study destinations are facing significantly different circumstances than in the post-pandemic years following COVID-19. In many Western countries, governments are constraining international student enrolments, while in Asia and some parts of Europe, there is an opposite trend (ICEF Monitor, 2025).
- US student visa issuance in decline: Recent data shows a 36% year-on-year decrease in the issuance of US study visas, with stakeholders attributing the trend to policy uncertainty (The PIE, 2026).
- New Zealand introduces a new 6 month graduate work visa: The government of New Zealand is introducing new pathways to post-study work as part of its ambition to significantly expand the international education sector (The PIE, 2026).
October 2025
- 2030 Outlook: Global student mobility is projected to reach 8.5 million by 2030. QS outlines 3 futures in 2030: Regulated Regionalism (regional hubs rise under tighter controls), Hybrid Multiverse (flexible, tech-enabled learning), and Talent Race Rebound (nations compete for students as skilled migrants). Students now prioritise teaching quality, university reputation and lifestyle, with emerging destinations gaining momentum (QS Quacquarelli Symonds, July 2025).
- Shifting Trends in Global Student Mobility: The traditional destinations like Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom are tightening policy settings, prompting students to explore new options across Europe and Asia. Affordability and return on investment are now key decision factors, especially for students from emerging markets. These shifts are reshaping the global education landscape and opening opportunities for a wider range of countries to attract international students and talent (ICEF Monitor, September 2025).
- OECD Tracks Global Student Flows: Over 6 million students studied abroad in higher education in 2023. Of these, Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom hosted 46% mostly from Asia. Foreign enrolments are rising, and national policies and competition are increasingly shaping global student flows (OECD, September 2025).
July 2025
- Demand Diversification: International student interest is expanding beyond the Big 4 (Australia, Canada, the UK and the US) to a broader “Big 10” group of alternative study destinations in Europe and Asia (ICEF Monitor, May 2025).
- Policy and Affordability: Restrictive visa policies and rising costs in the Big 4 are pushing students toward more affordable and welcoming alternatives (The PIE, January 2025).
- Growth of English-Taught Programs: English-taught programs outside the Big 4 have surged, especially in Europe and Asia, boosting their appeal to international students. These programs have tripled since 2014 and grown by 48% between 2019 and 2024 (The PIE, May 2024).
- Strategic Recruitment Shifts: Educational institutions are investing in more targeted and diversified recruitment strategies. ICEF’s 2025 trends report emphasises the need for broader market outreach and partnerships to offset declining enrolments from traditional source countries (ICFE Monitor, November 2024).
Education-related services exports, Victoria
By calendar year 2019 – 2025, $billion
View the data for education-related services exports:
| Year | Education-related services exports, Victoria |
|---|---|
2019 | $13.6 billion |
2020 | $10.5 billion |
2021 | $6.9 billion |
2022 | $8.4 billion |
2023 | $14.6 billion |
2024 | $ 16.4 billion |
2025 | $17.9 billion |
Note: Some historical figures for education-related services exports have been revised by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The above data reflects figures as released on 30 April 2026.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics International Trade: Supplementary Information, Calendar Year – Table 3. International trade in services, credits, state by calendar year, $m
International student enrolments, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date December 2019 - 2025; nearest thousand, ‘000
View the data for international student enrolments:
Year | International student enrolments, Victoria |
|---|---|
2019 | 307,000 |
2020 | 283,000 |
2021 | 227,000 |
2022 | 222,000 |
2023 | 286,000 |
2024 | 328,000 |
2025 | 322,000 |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2025
International student commencements, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date December 2019 – 2025; nearest thousand, ‘000
View the data for international student commencements:
Year | International student commencements, Victoria |
|---|---|
2019 | 161,000 |
2020 | 123,000 |
2021 | 86,000 |
2022 | 113,000 |
2023 | 163,000 |
2024 | 172,000 |
2025 | 147,000 |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2025
Share of international student enrolments by sector, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date December 2025; share of total VIC enrolments, %
View the data for international student enrolments, by sector:
Sector | Share of total Victorian enrolments, 2025 |
|---|---|
Higher Education | 52% |
VET | 35% |
ELICOS | 8% |
Non-Award | 3% |
Schools | 2% |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2025
Market share of international enrolments, 2025
By calendar year-to-date December 2025; market share of total enrolments, %
View the data for share of international student enrolments by state and territory
State | Market share of international enrolments, 2025 |
|---|---|
NSW | 38.1% |
VIC | 30.5% |
QLD | 14.0% |
WA | 8.5% |
SA | 5.4% |
ACT | 2.1% |
TAS | 0.9% |
NT | 0.6% |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2025
Top 10 nationalities by international student enrolments, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date December 2025; nearest hundred, ‘00
Rank 2025 | Nationality | # of VIC enrolments in 2025 | Change in ranking from 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | India | 78,400 | No change |
2 | China | 67,100 | No change |
3 | Vietnam | 18,300 | No change |
4 | Sri Lanka | 17,300 | +1 |
5 | Nepal | 14,100 | +2 |
6 | Colombia | 13,400 | -2 |
7 | Philippines | 12,700 | -1 |
8 | Thailand | 9,900 | No change |
9 | Indonesia | 9,600 | +2 |
10 | Pakistan | 9,300 | -1 |
Source: Australian Government Department of Education International Student Data for the year-to-date (YTD) December 2025
Offshore primary student visas lodged, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date July, 2019 – 2026
View the data for offshore primary international student visas lodged, Victoria:
Year (calendar year-to-date July) | Offshore primary student visas lodged, Victoria |
|---|---|
2019 | 45,900 |
2020 | 19,500 |
2021 | 12,500 |
2022 | 46,800 |
2023 | 61,700 |
2024 | 43,100 |
2025 | 36,200 |
2026 | 33,000 |
Offshore primary student visas granted, Victoria
By calendar year-to-date July, 2019 – 2026
View the data for offshore, primary student visas granted, Victoria:
Year (calendar year-to-date July) | Offshore primary student visas granted, Victoria |
|---|---|
2019 | 45,600 |
2020 | 18,000 |
2021 | 11,800 |
2022 | 34,400 |
2023 | 55,100 |
2024 | 38,900 |
2025 | 33,400 |
2026 | 28,100 |
Offshore primary student visa grant rate, Victoria and Australia
By calendar year-to-date July, 2019 – 2026
View data for offshore primary student visa grant rate, Victoria and Australia
| Offshore primary student visa grant rate | |
Year (calendar year-to-date July) | Victoria | Australia |
2019 | 86% | 86% |
2020 | 93% | 92% |
2021 | 90% | 86% |
2022 | 91% | 90% |
2023 | 84% | 81% |
2024 | 82% | 79% |
2025 | 90% | 89% |
2026 | 78% | 71% |
Further information
Explore the latest data and insights on related topics such as trade and the visitor economy in Victoria.
Explanatory notes
Read the explanatory notes for data on international students in Victoria.
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