Universities clash over proposed international student cap

Australia’s universities have descended into infighting over a proposed international student cap, with some bodies claiming the government is protecting elite institutions, writes Caitlin Cassidy for The Guardian Australia.

The draft bill, announced in May, would allow the education minister to limit the enrolment of overseas students by provider, course or location. To enrol more students, institutions would be required to establish additional purpose-built student accommodation.

In submissions to the bill, published on Wednesday, regional and smaller universities were pointing the finger at elite capital city institutions, including the University of Sydney, alleging they should be targeted due to having a larger impact on the rental crisis. The Regional Universities Network (Run) said its institutions should explicitly be exempt from the cap, noting just 3.5% of onshore international students attended a regional campus.
Full report on the Guardian site