After notching up a quarter century of TNE with its Semenyih campus on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, UK media reports that enrolments have slumped at the University of Nottingham’s pioneering TNE endeavour and millions of pounds are owed.
Following Monash University’s announcement of a decision to build a AUD$1 billion 22,000 student campus in the heart of the Malaysian capital, it has been reported that enrolments at the Nottingham outpost had slumped from 5,200 students in 2021 to 4,056 in 2024.
The Malaysian venture owed GBP7.6 million (approximately AUD$14.5 million) last year.
As with all student markets, there are inevitably questions as to whether the result is due to limitations in overall demand for TNE in Malaysia, or whether it is an institutional positioning or operational issue.
The issue highlights the importance of growing public information in relation to market capacity and growth in key offshore markets, given the Albanese Government’s focus on funnelling offshore growth into TNE operations, to reduce exposure to immigration critics seeking deeper cuts in onshore international student numbers.
How the Department of Education and/or ATEC will be able to set policy relating to ATEC without reliable offshore market data is not clear. What is obvious is that not all TNE trend patterns point towards growth, despite billions of dollars currently being invested by Australian institutions into offshore operations.