Referring to a similar situation in the united states, bruce mackh describes the projected decline in domestic higher education student enrolment from 2025 as “the enrolment cliff,” attributing this trend primarily to declining birth rates and shifting demographics. In addition to declining domestic student completion rates, the federal government’s 2023 migration review acknowledged international students placed pressure on housing and local infrastructure, especially in communities that do not benefit from the value international education exports. A recent analysis has revealed a worrying decline in domestic enrolments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem) courses in australia, sparking concerns about the nation’s economic and workforce sustainability. 2023 was a boom year for international students in australian universities The number of international students commencing bachelor degrees jumped 19.0% from 2022 to 2023, while the number of domestic students commencing bachelor degrees dropped 2.2% from 2022 to 2023.
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