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Australia will allow up to 295,000 new foreign students to begin courses in 2026, lifting its cap by 9 per cent and shifting focus towards Southeast Asian applicants, the government announced on Monday.
Education Minister Jason Clare said the decision would ensure international education grows in a way that “supports students, universities and the national interest.”
“This is about making sure international education grows in a way that supports students, universities and the national interest,” Clare said in a statement.
The current limit of 270,000 was introduced last year to rein in record migration, which had driven up housing costs across the country. Officials now say the tighter controls are working.
“The numbers were growing out of control,” said Julian Hill, assistant minister for international education, in an interview with ABC. “The government has taken tough decisions over the last 12 months, not always loved by the sector, to get the numbers down and get them to a more sustainable footing.”
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Australia issued nearly 600,000 student visas in the 2023 financial year, with students from China (about 166,420) and India (about 126,490) making up the largest groups.
Public universities will not lose seats
Publicly-funded universities are guaranteed not to fall below their 2025 seat allocations. Institutions that are on track to exhaust their current quotas will be allowed to request more seats for 2026.
Final allocations will be confirmed by October 2025.
Larger universities will also need to prove that both domestic and international students have access to “safe and secure housing”. They are also being encouraged to recruit more students from Southeast Asia, the Australian government said in a statement.
“It’s important for Australia's future soft power that we continue to bring the best and brightest from our neighbours to have a bit of Australia with them for the rest of their life,” Hill said.
How private higher education providers will be allocated seats
Private universities, pathway colleges, and other CRICOS-registered higher education providers have been given indicative seat numbers for 2026.
Some of the notable allocations include:
Bond University: 800 places
Kaplan Business School: 3,265 places
Torrens University: 2,855 places
UNSW Global (University of New South Wales pathways): 525 places
UTS College (University of Technology Sydney pathways): 515 places
Melbourne Institute of Technology: 1,175 places
Victorian Institute of Technology (VIT): 1,125 places
Australian Institute of Business and Management: 1,165 places
Acknowledge Education: 1,565 places
Sydney Institute of Higher Education: 225 places
Australian Institute of Higher Education: 555 places
Excelsia University College: 525 places
Changes for small providers and vocational training
Smaller private providers will see their minimum allocation increase to 50 places, up from 10 in 2025. Technical and Further Education (TAFEs) offering higher education courses will receive a 5 per cent boost to their 2025 allocation, while other private providers will get a 3 per cent increase or a minimum of 5 additional places, whichever is higher. All allocations will be rounded to the nearest five.
Flexibility for dual-sector providers
Institutions that operate under multiple Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) codes or have associated pathway colleges will be allowed to redistribute seats internally. Dual-sector providers, offering both higher education and vocational training, can pool their allocations from both streams.
Utilisation monitoring for future allocations
The Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) will track how well institutions utilise their allocated places throughout 2026. This will influence how seats are distributed for 2027.
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