The Federal Government has announced a National Planning Level of 295,000 international student places for 2026. This represents an increase of 25,000 places compared to the 2025 allocation. All currently active international education providers will retain at least their existing allocation for the upcoming year.

Ministerial Direction No. 111, which currently governs visa processing arrangements, will be revised to align with the new planning framework for 2026. Priority visa processing will remain in place for specific student cohorts, including nationals of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, as well as recipients of Australian Government scholarships.

From 2027 onwards, the Government will continue to utilise visa processing measures and integrity reforms to influence the scale and composition of the international vocational education and training (VET) sector.

In addition, from 2026, students progressing from Australian secondary schools, pathway providers, or TAFE institutions into publicly funded universities will be exempt from the national student cap.

Source: https://ministers.education.gov.au/clare/managing-sustainable-international-education-sector