International student numbers plunge at WA’s colleges
Foreign students are abandoning Western Australia’s billion dollar education sector with new figures showing a massive slump in applications to study in the west.
Department of Immigration and Border Protection figures for Western Australia show a drop in international students from 2,997 to 2,309 in June – a 23 per cent reduction compared to the previous year, following a 32 per cent drop in April and 11 per cent in May. According to WA Today, the state’s small colleges and training institutes are being hit hardest, with the Western Australian Private Education and Training Industry Association reporting up to 40 per cent reductions in student numbers at colleges in Perth teaching English.