International students to rush back to Australia following Chinese government ban

Christine Lai

The Chinese government’s recent snap ban decision on people studying at foreign universities online has pressured students overseas to return to Australia and continue their studies in-person.

China’s Ministry of Education announced the end to special Covid pandemic rules on Saturday, which allowed Chinese international students to study online from home in China.

Under the new rules, more than 40,000 Chinese students enrolled at Australian universities must complete their courses face-to-face for their degrees to be recognised.

In the announcement, the Chinese government stated that from the first semester of 2023, they would no longer recognise overseas qualifications gained via remote study.

“According to relevant national policies, cross-border long-distance foreign (overseas) degree certificates and higher education diplomas are not within the scope of our center’s certification,” part of the statement read.

“To effectively protect the interests of students who receive overseas education and maintain the fairness of education, the Center has decided to abolish the special accreditation rules.”

The Chinese Ministry of Education noted face-to-face teaching had resumed across several institutions overseas, adding that “diplomas and degree certificates awarded in the Spring semester of 2023 (Autumn semester in the Southern Hemisphere) and beyond through cross-border online studying” would not be accredited.

Chief Executive Officer at International Education Association of Australia Phil Honeywood said that there were about 40 000