International student monthly summary

Key points

• In January 2026, 551,717 international students studied in Australia, a nine per cent decline on the same period in 2025.
• Many international students study more than one course in a reported year. Hence, in January 2026 there were 565,601 international student enrolments, a nine per cent decline in enrolments on the same period in 2025. The number of commencements (37,988) declined by four per cent.
• The Higher Education sector had growth in enrolments (3%), while all other sectors showed declines, notably ELICOS (32%).
• Overall, 58% of international students were from the following five student source countries: China (23% of international students), India (17%), Nepal (9%), Vietnam (4%) and Bangladesh (4%).
• The most popular Field of Education in Higher Education was Management and Commerce followed by Information Technology, while in VET it was Management and Commerce followed by Architecture and Building.
• In January 2026, the most popular Level of Study in Higher Education was Masters degree by coursework (42% of total) followed by Bachelors degree (42%), while in VET it was Diploma (34%) followed by Certificate III (22%).

Note: The January data should be interpreted with caution as most higher education and vocational education and training (VET) commencements for first semester typically take place in March each year.