Abstract: Australian universities have long recognised the importance of international education markets. In the face of reduced Commonwealth funding, international students have been perceived as one means to generate much needed capital. However, international students must be seen as more than ‘cash cows’. International students assist in the creation of transnational partnerships tying Australian universities with international institutions. Recently, an awareness of the benefits derived from international student markets has entered the policy considerations and planning agendas of local government bodies. local In recognition of this trend, Adelaide City Council has identified students as a key strategic resource in the revitalisation of the inner city area. The aggressive pursuit of international students through local government policy has been employed to stimulate significant economic investment in the city, particularly through the building of large-scale student residential complexes. Such polices are initiating significant changes within the physical form and social character of the City. We refer to such policy directions as educational entrepreneurialism. The changes initiated by educational entrepreneurialism have been met by the local community in vastly different ways. This paper investigates educational entrepreneurialism and reports on competing community perspectives derived from large-scale questionnaire sampling of 31% of households within the City of Adelaide. The significance of this paper rests not only in critically examining local community perceptions of and responses to educational entrepreneurialism policies, but equally in theorising more socially equitable and sustainable strategic planning pathways.