Australian universities consider staff cuts as international enrolments fall

Several Australian universities are considering or proposing staff reductions as falling international student enrolments and changes to visa rules put pressure on their finances.

Murdoch University in Perth has warned staff of potential organisational changes after a decline in international student numbers reduced its expected tuition revenue. Charles Sturt University has also warned of possible staffing reductions, while Adelaide University has proposed a voluntary early retirement scheme.

Murdoch University vice-chancellor Andrew Deeks told staff that changes to international student visa settings had significantly reduced overseas enrolments, both this year and on an ongoing basis. He said the university needed to reduce expenditure in its next budget and beyond.

Deeks said Murdoch was implementing cost-saving measures to respond to the revised revenue outlook. The university has also been affected by declining domestic enrolments: its first-semester figures fell by 22 per cent between 2022 and 2026.

Murdoch has been particularly exposed to changes in international education because overseas students accounted for 57 per cent of its total enrolments in 2024, the latest year for which comprehensive figures were available. Around two-fifths of those international students were enrolled at its offshore campuses in Dubai and Singapore.

Charles Sturt and Adelaide face revenue pressures

Charles Sturt University has warned that it may need to reduce its net staffing levels by around 100 full-time positions. The university attributed the pressure to a decline in international tuition fee revenue that had previously helped subsidise its operations.

Adelaide University has proposed a voluntary early retirement scheme and flagged the possibility of further voluntary redundancies. It is responding to a projected A$90 million shortfall in revenue from new international students.

The university’s international enrolments stood at around 16,700, compared with approximately 20,800 across its two predecessor institutions at the same point a year earlier, according to the report. The early retirement scheme had not been confirmed, and the university was seeking expressions of interest while awaiting regulatory approvals.

Visa changes add to uncertainty

The universities’ difficulties come amid tighter Australian student visa settings, including higher application fees, increased refusals and restrictions affecting some students seeking to change their visa status while already in the country.

Murdoch has contacted education agents about the possibility of readmitting former students who transferred to other institutions. The university said applications would be considered where students had sufficient credit for previous study and realistic plans to complete their qualifications. It stressed that readmission was not guaranteed and that the offer was not a general student recruitment initiative.

The developments underline the financial exposure of universities that depend heavily on international tuition income. However, the staffing measures differ by institution: some are proposals or warnings, rather than confirmed job cuts.