When COVID-19 travel restrictions were announced for travellers from mainland China on 1 February 2020, then for all foreign nationals (excluding Australian permanent residents) from 20 March, student visa holders and the higher education sector began to feel the impacts. Universities Australia has estimated $16 billion in revenue will be lost between June 2020 and 2023, and widespread job losses have been reported across institutions.

The factors influencing the financial positions and decisions of institutions are complex. While the publicly available financial information is not sufficiently detailed to enable a full assessment of universities’ current situations, this FlagPost provides an overview of some key data to understand the status of the sector prior to COVID-19, and the emerging impact of the pandemic.