The Go8 overall did not expand local enrolments in the decade to 2023, but had a 72% increase in international enrolments, according to a new report by researcher of record on Australian higher education Frank Larkins.
He reports in a forthcoming paper that across all of the Go8, domestic student enrolments were up by a total of 1,172 in the decade, compared to 50,000 for the system as a whole.
But the Go8 was not a total no-go for growth. Presented as EFTs, Go8 universities enrolled 56,500 (72%) more overseas students in 2023 than in 2014. The all-universities result was 122,500, a 48% increase.
Overall, the international enrolment boom reduced the domestic student proportion of all enrolments at all universities from 74% to 67%.
But the system average obscures some extraordinary changes at G08 members; particularly among the eastern seaboard’s Big Five. At Monash U the proportion of domestic students was 7% down, to 57%. At Uni Queensland it fell 15%, to 60% – and the change was much the same at UNSW. But at Uni Melbourne, domestic students were 58% of the total in 2023 – down from 71% in 2014.
And at the University of Sydney domestics were a bare half in 2023 – a 25% decline.
“The proportional change in domestic versus overseas enrolments for GO8 universities over the decade is exceptional,” Professor Larkins states.
He also warns the international boom disguises a decline in Australian enrolments which has “serious consequences” for national competitiveness. The 50,000 all universities increase, (4.9%) compares to a 14% national population growth. Using EFTs, enrolments actually fell, by 0.4%.
And he argues that increasing enrolments, as Education Minister Jason Clare calls for, requires universities to address their gender misalignment – with 219,000 more women than men studying in 2023.
Professor Larkins publishes @ https://franklarkins.wordpress.com/