International enrolments plummet

Empty chairs within New Zealand universities will be a common sight next semester as international student enrolments plummet.

Massey University sits at the top of the table, down 525 international students from its 2019 cohort of 4489 students. This number will fall even further as semester two enrolments continue.

International students play a big part in the economy, bringing in around $5 billion a year, National’s deputy leader and education spokeswoman Nikki Kaye said.

On what could have been a target breaking year of enrolments Victoria University of Wellington has now forecasted for a dramatic loss in revenue.

It faced a six per cent decrease in enrolment numbers, compared to Trimester 1, 2019, and anticipated a loss of $13 million over 2020.

The University of Otago is down by 150 equivalent full-time student (EFTS) enrolments and is expecting major impacts leading into semester two.

Meanwhile, 72 students out of 1258 EFTS withdrew from the University of Waikato.

To date, the university has lost $1.8 million in revenue, but international director Sharon Calvert said this doesn’t include the students choosing to study part-time as opposed to full-time.

‘‘With border restrictions remaining in place, and B Trimester beginning in July, this figure will grow.

‘‘This gap in our pipeline will have a significant flow-on impact to revenue for this year and the next few years, and will only get bigger the longer the borders remain closed.’’

The University of Canterbury had about 150 students defer their offers and about 100 students remain studying online from off-shore in Semester 1.

Canterbury’s EFTS enrolments are down 109 (seven per cent) when compared with May 2019.

Semester two is set to resume in a matter of weeks with each university taking a different approach to how learning is delivered.

There is no fee reduction for international students at Victoria University, instead, they offered a partial fee scholarship to a small cohort of students who were unable to travel to New Zealand.

The University of Otago is only accepting enrolments on the basis that students are prepared for online learning in their home country.

The University of Waikato is offering a bursary to new international students who opt to study online and those transferring to further degrees. Students have lost money on flights and visas, Calvert said.