The Department of Education has published two fact sheets clarifying exemptions from the National Planning Level for international student enrolments for Pacific and Timor-Leste and Foreign Government Scholarship Holders.
The fact sheets were uploaded to the Department’s website yesterday, just in time for the Department to be able to tell the Senate Committee hearing that it had done so. However, there’s still no word on Transnational Education or Twinning exemption definitions.
Pacific and Timor-Leste exemptions
The following countries and territories are exempt from the National Planning Level:
- Cook Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Kiribati
- Nauru
- New Caledonia
- Niue
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
- Timor-Leste
The fact sheet can be downloaded here.
Foreign Government Scholarship Holders exemptions
Unlike the list of countries provided above for Pacific and Timor-Leste exemptions, the Government has taken a criteria approach to defining Foreign Government Scholarship Holders exemptions.
Foreign government scholarship holders must satisfy the following criteria:
- Prospective students must meet university student admission requirements and meet the Department of Home Affairs eligibility criteria for a student visa
- Tuition fees must be fully funded by the foreign government
- The exemption would not be contrary to Australia’s foreign policy settings, including sanctions regime and international obligations.
The fact sheet can be downloaded here.
The Government has previously announced a list of exemptions from the National Planning Level:
- Schools
- Students studying standalone ELICOS courses
- Higher degree by research students
- Non-award students, including short-term exchange students
- All Australian Government-sponsored scholars and visa holders
- Key partner foreign government scholarship holders
- Other Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Defence-sponsored students
- Students that are part of certain Australian transnational education arrangements/twinning arrangement
- Students from the Pacific and Timor Leste
