Foreign student numbers return to pre-pandemic levels

New Zealand universities’ lucrative international enrolments are all but back to pre-pandemic levels. Universities New Zealand Chief Executive Chris Whelan said the eight universities had about 20,000 full-time equivalent international students, writes John Gerritsen for RNZ.

He said the figure was about 1,000 more than the same time in 2018, and about 1,000 less than at the start of 2019 – the year before pandemic-related border restrictions stopped new enrolments. And more international students would arrive as the year progressed. Whelan said: “I think we’ve got a pretty good chance of passing our 2019 figures this year.”

The recovery would make a difference to universities’ finances, he said. “International students are an important part of our community, but absolutely they also have an economic value.”
Full report on the RNZ site