The auditor’s report also showed that there was a 6.1% cut in the number of staff at NSW universities despite an increase in income at all levels. Universities also benefited from a $ 442 million increase in government grants starting in 2020.
Source of income for international students from NSW universities. Credit: NSW Audit Office
The executive director of the International Education Association of Australia, Phil Honeywood, said he expected the proportion of Indian and Nepalese students to increase significantly this year after many arrived in the country when the borders were opened.
He said Chinese students continued to rely on online learning because of closed borders, with more than 50 percent studying abroad.
“We anticipate that Chinese students will return in substantial numbers for face-to-face teaching in the early first semester of 2023,” Honeywood said.
Professor Andrew Norton, an expert in higher education at ANU, said it was unclear how some universities managed to increase the number of Chinese international students during COVID-19, but suggested they could offer incentives.
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“It seems counterintuitive and the discount is the only thing I can think of that might have involved some people,” he said. “But even then, coming to another country is one of the key benefits of having an international education, and therefore doing it online is a bad substitute.”
Norton said the reliance on foreign-based international students changed the product universities offered.
“Sydney [University] has been one of the universities that focuses primarily on providing education on campus and therefore when a significant minority of its students are simply not there, this also changes things for the people who are there because academics are trying to do two different versions of the course: one online, one offline.
“For me, it’s part of the downward spiral of campus education because if a university has to offer all of these services online, national students will use them as well.”
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A spokeswoman for the University of Sydney said the institution was able to increase the number of Chinese students thanks to its strong international reputation.
“We have made a rapid and successful transition to online learning and offered specific support to our students abroad, and we have also taken a personal approach to communicating with our prospective students, even through activities. among equals, greater access to webinars and relevant content and large – scale telephone campaigns, “he said.
“We are not immune to the challenges facing the higher education sector, but we are confident in our ability to continue to adapt and innovate to ensure that we can support our core mission: teaching and research. world class.
“We are delighted that many of our students from abroad can join us in person, but we know that there are still some difficulties, especially for students from China due to border closures and limited flights outside the country “.
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