Foreign student fees reached an all-time high of $1.3 billion last year even though student numbers were well below previous peaks.

The sums paid last year represented a recovery after fee income slumped from the previous high of $1.2b in 2019 to $483 million in 2022 as enrolments dropped due to Covid-related border closures.

The numbers showed universities and private tertiary institutes made more money than ever from international enrolments in 2025, while polytechnics, secondary schools, and English language schools had ground to make up.

The figures were collected as part of the Export Education Levy institutions paid the government for the costs of promoting and regulating the international education industry.