Indian and other South Asian students dominated a graduate diploma course that was closed to foreign enrolments by the Australian government last week due to concerns international students were using it to keep visas instead of for genuine study.
Data analysis from independent higher education expert Andrew Norton shows that India was the largest source of international students enrolled in the VET Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) course, with 6,500 enrolments.
This was almost three times more than second-placed Nepal with approximately 2,200 enrolments, and more than four times more than third-placed Philippines, with about 1,500 enrolments.
Pakistan came in fourth spot with some 1,300 enrolments, followed by students born in “not known” countries, with a total of around 1,200 enrolments.
Unsurprisingly South Asian countries lead enrolments. pic.twitter.com/uMlxacD6JP
— Andrew Norton (@andrewjnorton) September 3, 2026
Mr Norton said on X it was “unsurprising” that South Asian countries led enrolments on the course, but criticised the legal basis for the mass cancellation of registrations, saying that although the government said it was acting in the public interest, it was “always about migration”.
Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill said that the decision to cancel the course was made to “protect the integrity of Australia’s international education sector”.
Mr Hill said that first use of the government’s new course cancellation powers came after “significant evidence that the course has been used to facilitate onshore transfers by non-genuine students”, and said the course was “associated with high rates of visa refusals and course non-completion”.
International students who have already started the diploma are able to continue the course with their current provider, but providers and education agents are no longer permitted to recruit new international students into the course or offer it to other international students.
The course cancellation comes amid a forecast crackdown on immigration by the federal government, amid the rise of the right-wing populist One Nation party and public anger over Australia’s record-high immigration levels.
Header image: South Asian students outside a college in Australia (SBS).
