Overseas students cash cows? Far from it: Babones

Far from being the cash cows for Australian universities as they are popularly portrayed, international students are “unprofitable” and do not pay their fair share towards their education, according to a new book.

The book, Australia’s Universities: Can They Reform? also claims that most of Australia’s universities would be more financially sustainable if they capped overseas student enrolments at 2010 levels, which would also make them “small, healthier and more stable institutions”, says the book’s author, Sydney University sociologist Salvatore Babones.