There were 26,068 full-fee paying overseas students enrolled in Australian schools in 2024, an increase of 23.4 per cent (or 4,944 students) from 2023, according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). 

Mell Plumb, ABS head of education statistics, said: "2024 was the second year in a row of year-on-year growth in the number of full-fee paying overseas students in Australian schools since before the COVID-19 pandemic."

The pandemic years saw a drop of 41.9 per cent from 26,593 full-fee paying overseas school students in 2019 to 15,461 in 2022.

Across Australia, the highest percentage year-on-year growth in the number of full-fee paying overseas school students were seen in Tasmania (+39.9 per cent, an increase of 93 students), followed by the Australian Capital Territory (+28.0 per cent, an increase of 198 students), and Victoria (+27.5 per cent, an increase of 2,024 students) between 2023 to 2024.