Universities push for return of international students

Universities are pushing for international students to return to campuses in early 2021 as new research shows Australia could lose students to countries with firm plans in place to allow them to return to face-to-face teaching, writes Lisa Visentin for WA Today.

The federal government has given states and territories a deadline of next week to finalise plans for the safe return of international students, but its immediate priority remains using the limited hotel quarantine places to bring home Australians stranded overseas before Christmas. Australia’s university sector is now facing stiff competition for the 2021 intake from overseas rivals such as Canada and the United Kingdom, which are already allowing the return of offshore students.

New research by international education firm IDP Connect has underscored the risk to Australia’s AU$40 billion (US$30 billion) international student industry of failing to provide a clear timeline for the resumption of on-campus learning.
Full report on the WA Today site