The University of Melbourne has raised tuition fees by 6.9% for international undergraduate programs. Engineering tuition will exceed 60,000 AUD per year (approximately 1 billion VND), while law tuition will be over 56,000 AUD. This is three to four times the minimum rate for international students set by the Federal Education Agency.

At the University of Sydney, international students currently make up almost half of the approximately 50,000 students. Tuition fees for this group will increase by 5%, around 49,000-60,000 AUD per year. Business programs will see a 13% increase, potentially reaching 60,600 AUD.

These increases are two to three times the 2.1% inflation rate for the 2024-2025 financial year.

University of Melbourne students. Photo: University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne students. Photo: University of Melbourne

The Australian National University follows a similar trend. In 2026, tuition fees will range from nearly 46,700 to over 56,100 AUD, with the lowest fees typically found in arts programs like Design and Music.

Monash University, another member of the Group of Eight (Go8) leading research universities in Australia, has increased its tuition fees by 1.2-3.6%. International students will pay between 39,200 and 57,500 AUD per year, depending on their program.

These tuition increases come as the Australian government implements an enrollment cap and tightens policies for international students. This year, the total quota for all levels of education is 270,000, a decrease of over 53,000 compared to the previous year. In 2026, this number will be 295,000, a slight increase but still 8% lower than the peak period after the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Australian Department of Education, as of May, over 820,000 international students were enrolled in educational programs (including high schools, vocational schools, short-term English courses, and universities). International students contributed 51.5 billion AUD to the Australian economy in 2024, with 21.7 billion AUD coming from tuition fees. The University of Sydney alone received 1.6 billion AUD, while the University of Melbourne received 1.18 billion AUD.

Vietnam is currently among the top 4 countries for international students in Australia, with over 33,000 students.

Binh Minh (The Australian)