Australian universities hope the one-week extension of the travel ban on Chinese international students is a sign they will soon be allowed back into the country, amid fears Canada and the UK are poised to steal a larger share of the lucrative market
Australia's rivals in the $1.9 trillion global education market, Canada and the UK, have not imposed the same travel restrictions on students returning from China, leading to fears they could opt to study elsewhere.
Global ratings agency S&P has warned Australian universities' credit ratings will come under increasing pressure if the outbreak lasts through the first semester. At the University of Sydney, some 14,000 students from China remain overseas - up to 80 per cent of its entire Chinese student cohort. In a letter to staff, vice-chancellor Michael Spence said the travel ban was an "unprecedented, rapidly developing situation".
After the ban was extended on Thursday, the University of Canberra asked its 380 students still in China to defer their degrees until semester two, saying issues such as"We would rather ensure our students continue to receive the high-quality, face-to-face experience offered here at UC," deputy vice-chancellor Geoff Crisp said.Ms Jackson said the universities had now made contact with almost all of the students still stuck in China.
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