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Australian universities slash staff, courses as rising wages and foreign student curbs bite
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The cap on the intake of international students hurts the profitability of Australian universities.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Australian universities face financial strain, with over 3,500 academic and professional staff positions cut due to declining enrolments and increased costs.
- Humanities courses are particularly affected, with poor student enrolment causing subjects to fall below the threshold of viability.
- Increased visa fees and processing changes have impacted international student numbers, leading to concerns about the future of Australian education quality.
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SYDNEY – Australian universities have slashed entire courses and let go of staff – particularly in the humanities – to stay afloat as they grapple with rising wages as well as a cap on the intake of international students, which hurts profitability.
One of Australia’s leading universities, the Australian National University, has cut more than 200 positions through redundancies and voluntary departures as it seeks to find savings of A$250 million (S$208.6 million) by 2026.
