The impact on Australia’s international education sector of the Government’s plans to cap international student enrolments has been well publicised. Less well known is the impact that this is having on current and prospective students. The Koala News partnered with Voyage Insights, an industry-first bespoke AI-powered dynamic student insight analytics platform, to find out how students and prospective students are reacting to the news.
Overall student sentiment
It is unlikely to be a surprise to anyone that the student sentiment towards caps is largely negative, although there is still some uncertainty about what the caps will really mean, leading to a large neutral proportion.
One of the reasons given for the negative sentiment is that caps will lead to an increase in tuition fees, placing a greater financial burden on students and families. And although an increase in tuition fees is not something that has been flagged by the sector, this is an example of details being filled in by the market when concrete information is unavailable.
Students who expressed positive sentiment did so from a self-less perspective, citing the need for caps to address population growth, housing shortages and job opportunities for domestic students. According to Voyage “these comments often emphasise the need to prioritise the needs of Australian citizens and permanent residents”.
Expressed emotion
The emotional analysis undertaken by Voyage found that anger and sadness are the two most prominent emotions expressed by students in response to proposed international student caps.
Fear has also been expressed by students, with anxiety and concern about the impact of caps.
What they said
These are just some of the comments expressed by students or prospective students.
Will students keep coming?
There is an almost cavalier attitude in government and some parts of the sector that student demand will continue, and maybe it will, but there remains concern about the long lasting damage to Australia’s reputation by the imposition of international student enrolment limits.
Visit the Voyage website for more insights and information.
