According to Immigration New Zealand figures, 19,191 international students are still in the country, just over a third of the total number that were there when the pandemic began.
The number for those with valid study permits excludes foreign PhD students and those who pay the same fees as domestic students.
Key Takeaways:
- International student numbers in New Zealand have decreased from 51,580 in April of last year, right after the pandemic shut down the country’s borders.
- There are still 19,191 international students in the country, a little over a third of the total number that was there when the pandemic started.
- The private sector was the hardest hit, with only 3181 pupils remaining in the country, representing a 72 percent reduction.
The figure is down from 51,580 in April of last year, just after the pandemic shut down the country’s borders, and well below a regular year, when there are up to 86,000 international students in the country at any given moment and roughly 115,000 over the course of a year.
The private sector was impacted the worst, with only 3181 students remaining in the country, a 72 percent drop.
In New Zealand, polytechnics had 2892 full-fee international students, down 69 percent from April last year, while universities had 8914 full-fee foreign students, half as many as at the start of the pandemic.
In April of last year, there were 4197 international students in schools, down from 10,500 in April of the previous year.
According to the statistics, there were 1828 persons outside of New Zealand with a valid study visa in April this year, down from 9272 in April last year.
Over half of those outside the country had visas to study at institutions, while over 500 had visas to teach in elementary or secondary schools.
The industry is awaiting government decisions on its proposal to rebuild international education by putting less emphasis on job and residency rights, which have been major drawcards for many students in recent years.
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