International students return

International students have returned to UTS after borders reopened to a post-COVID world. However, they have returned to a country gripped by a cost-ofliving crisis and an education sector that is financially dependent on their enrollment.

The past three years have thrust Australian universities into new territory for students, staff, and management. First-years who started Semester One on that fateful February of 2020 became familiar with Zoom rather than campus. International students who arrived earlier in the year would find themselves masked up on a plane back home after spending only a few months on what would have been a lifechanging exchange. Those who didn't head home faced an indefinite lockdown in Australia. The lack of international students also saw millions of dollars lost for universities across the country.

The 2020 UTS annual report found that the loss of international students resulted in a deficit of $38 million, resulting in a 9% decline in revenue compared to 2019. The dependency on international students is not limited, with universities across Australia facing similar financial losses. With the return of international students, universities are not only expected to reach pre-pandemic enrolment numbers but also pre-pandemic profit from the enrolments of international students. So how are these new international students finding their new home?

Unlike domestic students, most international students are not eligible for Centrelink payments or Opal concession cards. As Australia grapples with its cost-of-living crisis, several international students have spoken to Vertigo about their experiences during this unprecedented crisis.

Rachel Salvador, an interior architecture student from the United States, said the lack of concessions for international students like herself is a downside of her experience in Australia.

“It’s greatly inconvenient to have to balance work-life to pay it off and uni at the same time,” she said.

“For [bank] loans as well, there’s a cap at $3000 which is approximately only 2% of the tuition coverage. It’s not close to enough to properly help, especially since some banks don’t provide loans.”

While commending UTS for some services to international students, Salvador urged the university to do more to support international students, citing the exorbitant amount she is paying for her degree compared to domestic students.

“For the price it is, it’s just not accommodating enough,” she says. “Yes, you have to have a certain amount of money to get the student visa and yes, you need to do research on what you’re signing yourself up for, but for someone who saved up and is constantly working on to support myself, it’s a certain pressure to maintain my role as an international student.”

“We, as international students, get the same experiences as residents here but with a significantly higher price difference.”

Jackie Jin, a Visual Communication student from China, shared similar sentiments to Salvador. While he was grateful about the cost of his degree compared to what his brother was paying at the University of Sydney, both Jin and Salvador shared concerns over the cost of living, with Jin paying around $480 a week for an apartment in Zetland with another person.

“[The price of] meals has doubled since 2018. Water or anything you need to use to live has gotten more expensive,” Jin said. “I wish the college fees were cheaper, I wish they were free.”

Despite their concerns, both students are happy with their return to campus, with having the “normal” uni experience and making friends through classes and clubs being a highlight. However, their previously mentioned concerns are still an issue that many students have faced.

These concerns were not limited to UTS. Postgraduate international students from four universities in New South Wales (including UTS) recently shared their experiences at an inquiry into tourism and the education sector held by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.

USyd Senate Fellow Yinfeng “Benny” Shen raised concerns to the committee on working rights, postgraduate visa issues, migration pass rates, as well as access to Medicare for international students.

With rental vacancy rates in their record lows (sitting around 1.7%), some international students have been priced out of their rentals, with some even forced to stay in hostels on top of dealing with the rising cost of living, making studying extremely difficult according to Shen.

Jumping off Shen’s concerns, Western Sydney University (WSU) student Samanda Mularachchi found housing close to her Bankstown campus non-existent or too expensive, forcing her to commute via public transport without a concession card from Parramatta to Bankstown.

“It's really challenging; you will spend close to $12 to $15 a day, which is a lot,” she said. “Also, given we don't have an income during placements, it's hard to manage so much rent while paying a bond for a new house."

“In general, moving places seems almost impossible for me at this time. I know that my housemate, for the longest time, has been trying to find a place somewhere closer to work. Because she can't find or afford a new place, she's currently living with me. I know that's the case for all of my international friends who are also doing placements with me.”

While these concerns have been raised to WSU, Mularachchi says there is only so much the university can do in terms of support.

Staying on the topic of housing, UTS Students' Association International Officer Joy Xu said universities should hold some responsibility reviewing the eligibility of hosts who offer housing through off-campus housing databases, recalling a homestay experience in which her host family started borrowing money off her.

Speaking to Vertigo, Xu said UTS was providing relevant support and resources through UTS International, however wishes for more collaboration between the International Collective and UTS International. Xu also said she wishes for more collaboration between clubs and the collective, but internal policies within the UTSSA have essentially made any form of collaboration tedious.

After approaching UTS for a statement regarding how the university is supporting international students, the university said:

“UTS International provides a dedicated International Student Centre for all enquiries so that arriving students can be triaged and supported through their learning journey, no matter when they arrive in Sydney or if they are still studying online. The UTS Orientation team delivered a comprehensive two week program for those who were able to travel to Sydney for the start of Autumn 2023 and can deliver a ‘Welcome Anytime” session for those who were not able to arrive prior to 17 February. There are also a range of videos to assist students settle in to studying at UTS as an international student. There is also additional Accommodation assistance available to assist international students find suitable places to live.”

Reliance on international students by universities

The committee also heard from Chancellery representatives of UTS, University of Sydney (USYD), the University of New South Wales (UNSW), University of Wollongong (UOW) and Macquarie University regarding international students’ experiences and their importance to the higher education sector.

In opening statements to the Committee, Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor of UOW Professor Alex Frino highlighted the importance of international students to the university, calling them a “lifeblood” for the sector, while Vice President for External Management for USyd Kirsten Andrews said international students were a “national asset”.

In his opening statement, Deputy Vice Chancellor for UNSW Professor Merlin Crossley said the reliance of international students for the higher education sector is only a “last resort”. This “last resort” by public universities across Australia is a direct result of lack of funding from past governments which came to rely on international students. With funding for research at the forefront of public universities priorities, this reliance on international student fees has become essential to funding for research as well as development.

In the previously mentioned statement provided to Vertigo, UTS did not answer why the university was reliant on international student fees.

Education reforms under former Minister for Employment, Education and Training

Richard Dawkins in the late 80s through to the 90s not only saw the introduction of the HECS system, but the exportation of Australia’s higher education to the international market, uncapping fees for international students. While some have lauded these reformations by Dawkins for building an educated national workforce, these reformations have now created consequences for international students in a world that no-one in the 1990s would have seen coming.

Out of the 38 countries in the OECD, Australia is spending around 1.4% of its GDP into funding public universities, well below the OECD average of 2.68%

Years of government policy failures in the funding of the higher education sector has put international students into an uncomfortable position. With the cost-of-living crisis being exacerbated by climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine, the struggles are set to continue until drastic change is made.