Quick summary of that ABC piece on crashing Chinese student numbers: Australian universities are pulling the exact same move Australian manufacturing did years ago — they're offshoring.
For decades the unis built a fat revenue model shipping full-fee international students here at $50k–$60k a pop. Now that pipeline is drying up fast, they're rushing to set up joint programs, transnational degrees and offshore campuses across Asia. Same product, delivered cheaper and closer to the customer, with fewer costs onshore.
It's the classic neoliberal playbook: when the easy profits at home dry up, chase them wherever labour and overheads are lower. The cash cow that subsidised the whole sector is on life support, just like the factories before it. Local jobs, wages, and the character of our campuses pay the price.

#HigherEducation #AustralianUniversities #Offshoring #Neoliberalism #EducationForProfit

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-29/chinese-student-numbers-are-expected-to-take-turn-for-the-worse/106468846

'This cash cow is going to die': Why Chinese student numbers are falling

Chinese students continue to provide the lion's hare of revenue for Australian universities. But experts warn that could soon change.

@mojo

When they took learning online, they were setting up for this.
Without the full campus experience, why bother coming?

I assume it was driven by Covid initially.