The new student cap: what it means for you

You may have heard about new international student caps in Australia. On 27 August 2024, the Australian Government announced that a cap called a National Planning Level (NPL) will put limits on the growth of international student programs each year.

Australia will continue to welcome students from all over the world. For 2025, new student commencement numbers for Australia’s universities will be set at around 2023 levels.  

Why has an NPL student cap been put in place? 

Australia remains a top study destination globally and there have been large increases in the number of students choosing to study in Australia in recent years.  

A new NPL student cap will help Australia’s education and training providers to manage this growth. It will also help to ensure that providers can continue to deliver high-quality programs, offer comprehensive student support services and best prepare their students for future employment in their chosen career. 

What are the numbers? 

National Planning Level limits will apply from 1 January 2025, with a total of 270,000 new international student commencements for the 2025 calendar year. This does not include enrolments or offers. It is the actual number of international students starting a course. If a student starts a second course at the same provider, also in calendar year 2025, it will not be counted under that year’s planning limit.  

From 1 January 2025, new commencements will be divided between Higher Education and VET:

• Public universities will have a total of around 145,000 commencements.
• Private universities and NUHEPs will have around 30,000.
• VET providers will have around 95,000.

This means that most public universities in Australia will be able to enrol more new international students in 2025 than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. Some universities will even welcome more new students in 2025 than in 2024.

Who is not affected? 

Current international students will not be affected by these changes.

Other student cohorts that will not be affected by the NPL also include: 

• International students enrolled at an Australian provider or partner provider campus around the world, studying an Australian transnational education (TNE) or twinning program
• School students
• Higher degree by research students
• ‘Standalone’ ELICOS students
• Non-award, including Study Abroad and Exchange students
• Australian Government sponsored (and partner sponsored) scholars
• Students from the Pacific and Timor-Leste.

What protections are there for students?

Australia offers a wide range of student support services and protections. A range of recent policy changes were made before the announcement of the NPL student cap. These changes have further strengthened student protections. This means that education and training providers must meet even stricter requirements before offering courses to international students.

Australia values and welcomes international students

International students from all over the world are welcomed and valued in Australia. International students bring new ideas and skills to our society, diverse perspectives to our classrooms and communities, and sought-after talent to Australia’s workforce.

Australia’s global campus offering will continue to include options for studying on campus at locations across Australia, online programs, transnational pathway and twinning programs, and Australian and partner provider campuses around the world.