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Reuters

Just a few months after arriving in Sydney for a planned two-year stay, university students Maggie Zhang and boyfriend Sunny Gu sat down to make a “pros and cons” list about life in Australia.
The list was very quickly unbalanced. On the positive side, staying to complete their Masters in Commerce at the University of Sydney would keep the couple, who had met in Australia, together.
Weighing down the other side of the equation was a host of negatives, almost all spurred by the coronavirus pandemic.

Their classes had moved online, making study harder and less interactive, many friends had already returned home and the relatively high cost of living in Sydney was biting.
“We really wanted to stay, so it was a difficult decision to make,” Zhang said as she packed her suitcase on her final day in Australia this month.
The pair are part of an exodus from Australia of international students, the bulk of whom are from China, that is worrying officials in a country which boasts education as its fourth biggest export.
Coronavirus leaves Australia’s international students in dire straits
With Australia already sliding into its worst recession in almost a century, education leaders expect the disappearance of international students to cost billions of dollars.
Data on how many international students have left the country this year is not yet available, but anecdotal evidence on departures and data on new enrolments paints a worrying picture.
New enrolments of international students, who generally make up about 20 per cent of all university students in Australia, grew by an average of 10 per cent over the past two years.
But growth in the first six months of this year was negligible as Australia closed its borders in March to all foreigners because of the pandemic.

The slowdown in foreign student enrolments mean Australian universities are facing a revenue hit of between A$3.1 billion and A$4.8 billion (US$2.2-US$3.5 billion) this year alone, said Catriona Jackson, CEO of Universities Australia.
New enrolments from China fell 8 per cent in the first half of the year, compared with a gain of 4 per cent across 2019, according to government data.
Further darkening the prospects for Australian universities, Beijing recently urged students going overseas to think carefully before choosing Australia, citing a spate of racist incidents targeting Asians during the pandemic.
Australia tells all visitors and temporary visa holders to ‘go home’
The warning came after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in April told foreign students to go back to their home countries if they were unable to make ends meet during the pandemic, adding they were not entitled to any welfare payments.
Zhang and Gu, who met in a class tutorial last year, said the resulting diplomatic tensions weren’t a factor in their decision, which centred instead on isolation and its impact on their social life as well as studies.
“It’s a little bit frustrating (to) not participate in real life classes,” Zhang said while packing. “You can’t really talk with the professor or meet new friends. Of course, the tutorials are all online. It doesn’t have a feeling of participation. It’s not like school, I think.”

Shiyu Bao, who graduated from the University of Sydney in July with a degree in Public Relations, is desperately looking for permanent work before her student visa expires in September.
“It’s a race against time,” she said this month at an inner city cafe.
Online classes have lost the real meaning of studying abroad
Sunny Gu
“A majority of my friends have gone back home but I really want to stay here,” said Bao, who is working part-time at a student organisation. “I have polished my resume and have applied for a few jobs, but I’ve had no success so far. I’m willing to do even unpaid internships as long as I get to stay here.”
Zhang and Gu plan to return to Australia next year for their final semester if face-to-face classes resume.
“Online classes have lost the real meaning of studying abroad,” Gu said via WeChat this week from Guangzhou, where he is in two-week quarantine with Zhang before she returns to her hometown of Wuhan.
“I definitely hope everything will be normal in 2021. My family and I are looking forward to coming back for my graduation ceremony.”


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Australia

Chinese students in Australia leave as coronavirus upends study

There is an exodus of international students in Australia as the coronavirus pandemic hits. Photo: Reuters

Sunny Gu and his girlfriend Maggie Zhang, international students from China both studying for a Masters in Commerce at the University of Sydney, wear face masks as they ride a bus together, after lockdown measures put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak were eased, in Sydney, Australia, August 11, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott SEARCH "INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AUSTRALIA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

International students from China Karoline Li, Shiyu Bao, Katerina Ma and Elma Song walk along the waterfront by the Sydney Opera House, after lockdown measures put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak were eased, in Sydney, Australia, June 24, 2020. "A majority of my friends have gone back home but I really want to stay here," Said Bao. REUTERS/Loren Elliott SEARCH "INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AUSTRALIA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Maggie Zhang and her boyfriend Sunny Gu, international students from China both studying for a Masters in Commerce at the University of Sydney, take photos together on the university campus, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Sydney, Australia, August 11, 2020. "Online classes have lost the real meaning of studying abroad," Gu said. REUTERS/Loren Elliott SEARCH "INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AUSTRALIA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

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China-Australia trade dispute extends to wine as Beijing targets cheap imports in anti-dumping probe

The China Alcoholic Drinks Association, which represents 122 members, said the growing number of low-priced Australian wines sold in China had “severely disrupted and inflicted a serious negative impact on the local market”. Photo: AFP

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Coronavirus leaves Australia’s international students in dire straits, study shows

Just under one-third of respondents said they felt lonely before the pandemic, but 63 per cent felt lonelier since the pandemic. Photo: Reuters

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Asia

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Students have been struggling with online classes and the relatively high cost of living in Australian cities
Australia expects the exodus of international students to cost billions of dollars



Australia is also seeing a plunge in international student enrolments as the coronavirus pandemic shuts borders worldwide.


Chinese students in Australia leave as coronavirus upends study

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Students have been struggling with online classes and the relatively high cost of living in Australian cities Australia expects the exodus of international students to cost billions of dollars

Students have been struggling with online classes and the relatively high cost of living in Australian cities

Australia expects the exodus of international students to cost billions of dollars