If ‘unprecedented’ was the word for our sector a few years ago, then 2024 would have to be defined by ‘uncertainty’. During the past 12 months, uncertainty has clouded policies, jobs, and most importantly, options for young people looking to transform their lives through international education.
After the rollercoaster of changes our sector has faced in 2024, it is time to dust ourselves down, and head into 2025 ready to fight for the voices that matter most: those of our international students.
While policy certainty feels some while off, here are five actions we can take that will help our sector emerge in a stronger position.
1 Proceed with care in recruitment
Regardless of the outcome of the 2025 election, we can expect migration to feature as a hot topic in the campaigns. As a sector, our opportunity is to highlight the value international students bring and show that we are committed to responsible and sustainable growth. “We can’t rely on peak bodies, every single provider has a responsibility,” warned experts Claire Field, Dirk Mulder and Tracey Harris in a recent webinar debating the latest musings in Parliament. Among the advice given, was that institutions should be careful to ‘behave well’ and not overrecruit to compensate for current challenges.
Key to this is setting English scores properly and adopting a diversification strategy that ensures a broad mix of nationalities. We know students thrive when they have the right language skills to participate actively in our classrooms, workplaces, and wider communities and are part of a diverse student cohort. My colleague Michael James talks about more about this in his piece for Koala news.
Action: Our advice to our institution partners is to take advantage of more recent academic research and work with our team to help ensure your score requirements are positioning students for success.
If you would like to review an example of the research in this area please click here. For any enquiries, please contact your Partnerships Director or Vincent Blokker, Head of Partnerships at IELTS directly.
2 Support the students who are already here
We know from our Emerging Futures research that students are driven by post-study work outcomes. They are often the first in their family to travel overseas and continue their education, which adds pressure to quickly secure their chosen career path.
On arrival in their host country, these students also face cultural isolation, linguistic and social challenges and mental health concerns. Setting realistic expectations in pre-departure briefings and providing necessary support is something IDP prioritises, and this continues when students land through our Thrive program.
For institutions, the Australian Government Department of Education’s evidence-based framework and guides developed by Deakin University is an essential resource for international student engagement strategies. The six guides examine key areas to support a positive student experience across employability, wellbeing, learning and language, accommodation and crisis navigation.
By focusing on a quality experience and learning from our sector colleagues, we can improve student outcomes and in turn ensure students leave Australia as proud ambassadors for our great higher education offering.
Action: Develop and implement an action plan for international student engagement at your institution based on the Government’s best practice guides.
3 Lobby your MP on the local benefits of international education
Outside of education, the economic contribution international students and their families bring to local retail, hospitality, tourism, entertainment, personal care, and accommodation is staggering. If international student numbers continue to decline, these smaller businesses will be at risk.
Among the other recent research on this topic is English Australia’s electorate data, which has been modelled by geo-demographer Nick Nicholas and estimates that international students generated $13.75bn locally through day-to-day spending in 2023, which doesn’t include the billions of export revenue generated by international education.
We’ve already seen the impact of this in regional areas of Australia as George Williams, Western Sydney University Vice Chancellor and President, has noted in The Guardian, “Ministerial Direction 107 has had a particularly devastating impact on outer suburban and regional universities. It has reduced the numbers of international students but not in a way that has served communities.”
I encourage you to use the latest research to lobby your MP on the concerning impact policies are having on your electorate. By highlighting the risk of job losses for not only your individual institution but also your local businesses and voters, we stand a better chance of being listened to by decision-makers.
Action: Consider the economic impact of international education on your local electorate and approach your MP.
4 Debunk systemic myths around international students
International students’ voices have often been lost in the current media debate. At the recent AIEC conference, a student panel spoke about feeling isolated from the conversations about the sector. One international student stated that “no one is listening to [international students].”
Tackling this issue head-on are Ly Tran, Diep Nguyen, Danielle Hartridge and Gary Lee, who have run focus groups with international students, sector colleagues and local communities. “We must find effective mechanisms to listen to and consider the hidden and marginalised voices,” they wrote in the Koala News.
Their research revealed a pressing need for collaboration across the sector to improve community understanding of international students, something IEAA embraced through the ‘Help Australia Thrive’ campaign.
By addressing the false narratives on international students’ impact on housing, domestic student places and the job market, while highlighting their profound contributions such as going on to care for our most vulnerable Australians after their studies, and bringing people together, we can start to shift the narrative.
There is ongoing work required to educate those outside our sector on other benefits, such as the role international student fees play in boosting vital Australian research and innovation, subsidising domestic fees and funding outreach programs that support underprivileged students.
Action: Find examples of the benefits international students bring our communities and tell these stories outside our sector.
5 Create a national campaign, told by real students
As Canada faces policy challenges similar to those faced by Australia, IDP has channelled international student voices into a nationwide campaign featuring real student stories from more than 35 leading institutions.
York University in Toronto has hailed the national peer-led campaign as “the kind of initiative Canada needs right now” during a panel discussion following conversation with Immigration Minister, Marc Miller at the CBIE conference in Ottawa.
By not working together as a whole sector, we miss out on opportunities to create an impact as a united brand and use authentic voices to showcase the real lived opportunities in a voice students trust and can relate to.
Action: Consider how your institution could work with others to create a unified campaign that resonates with students.
In conclusion
As we enter an uncertain 2025, I hope these ideas inspire you to take on the year with renewed focus and a sense of control.
There are challenges in the industry at the moment, but it makes what we do more important. We help young people transform their lives through international education. When the days are tough, this is what keeps us going.
By working as a united sector, and as a nation, we can focus our collective efforts on the students we have and getting things right for those interested in studying here.
We have a shared responsibility to show the best Australia can offer, to create a welcoming and supportive environment that will ensure students are set up to thrive and go on to become our greatest ambassadors.
Jane Li is the Regional Operations Director, Australasia & Japan at IDP Education
