Andrew Norton
@andrewjnorton.bsky.social
Australian higher education policy
andrewnorton.id.au
andrewnorton.id.au
Things look bad for aspiring future international students, but in recent years more former international students have achieved permanent residence. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/09/16/p...
Pathways to permanent residence for former international students
The Australian government is trying, without much success to date, to reduce the number of long-term temporary migrants. For student-related visa holders – people with student visas, temporary grad…
andrewnorton.id.au
September 16, 2026 at 6:11 AM
Things look bad for aspiring future international students, but in recent years more former international students have achieved permanent residence. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/09/16/p...
Big city universities have few potential official 'low SES' students living in their metro areas. A new low SES definition would better target disadvantage. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/09/03/m...
Measuring low SES and higher education policy
Australian higher education policy uses a geographic proxy to measure socioeconomic status. People living in the lowest 25% of areas by the ABS Index of Education and Occupation are deemed ‘low SES…
andrewnorton.id.au
September 4, 2026 at 12:02 AM
Big city universities have few potential official 'low SES' students living in their metro areas. A new low SES definition would better target disadvantage. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/09/03/m...
The government is likely to stop most international students from bringing partners & children with them. It's likely to have a major impact on demand, especially in South Asian markets. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/09/01/t...
The coming cuts to student-related secondary temporary visa holders
Last week The Australian reported on apparent forthcoming limits on student secondary visa holders, the partners and children of the primary visa holder students. This has been rumoured for months.…
andrewnorton.id.au
September 1, 2026 at 6:05 AM
The government is likely to stop most international students from bringing partners & children with them. It's likely to have a major impact on demand, especially in South Asian markets. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/09/01/t...
Despite some improvements, the government's student place capping bill will still lead to year-on-year cuts in minumum numbers of places. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/24/g...
Government amendments to its student places capping bill
Last week the government made two substantive amendments to its student places capping bill, officially named the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026. One amendmen…
andrewnorton.id.au
August 24, 2026 at 2:36 AM
Despite some improvements, the government's student place capping bill will still lead to year-on-year cuts in minumum numbers of places. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/24/g...
Jason Clare's over-enrolment caps threated higher education opportunities, with his own home city of Sydney at greatest risk. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/21/a...
ATEC’s big test: Meeting demand for higher education in Sydney
At the AFR higher education conference this week Jason Clare was open to amending his capping student places bill. He subsequently inserted amendments on ministerial conditions and floor numbers of…
andrewnorton.id.au
August 21, 2026 at 1:33 AM
Jason Clare's over-enrolment caps threated higher education opportunities, with his own home city of Sydney at greatest risk. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/21/a...
The government wants more higher education enrolments. But there is no new money. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/10/h...
How will the government finance more higher education enrolments?
The government has grand hopes for additional higher education participation, on the way to 80% tertiary attainment by 2050. But how they will fund enrolment growth is much less clear. The governme…
andrewnorton.id.au
August 10, 2026 at 5:21 AM
The government wants more higher education enrolments. But there is no new money. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/10/h...
A data update for my Mapping Australian higher education publication. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/05/m...
Mapping Australian higher education – August 2026 update
I don’t currently have the capacity for a new edition of Mapping Australian higher education 2023 but I am still updating the data behind the tables and charts. The latest spreadsheet is here…
andrewnorton.id.au
August 5, 2026 at 2:49 AM
A data update for my Mapping Australian higher education publication. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/05/m...
The government's higher education funding legislation puts student opportunities at unnecessary risk. My submission to the Senate inquiry. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/03/m...
My Senate inquiry submission on the government’s student place capping bill
Submissions to the Senate inquiry into the government’s student place capping bill – with the official but misleading title of the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill …
andrewnorton.id.au
August 3, 2026 at 3:12 AM
The government's higher education funding legislation puts student opportunities at unnecessary risk. My submission to the Senate inquiry. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/08/03/m...
Explainer on what the new higher education funding system means for education providers outside the public university sector. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/20/t...
The proposed new funding system, part 6: Private universities and non-university higher education providers
The funding system I have described parts 1 to 5 of this series of posts applies in full to the higher education providers listed on ‘Table A’ of the Higher Education Support Act 2003. …
andrewnorton.id.au
July 20, 2026 at 6:55 AM
Explainer on what the new higher education funding system means for education providers outside the public university sector. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/20/t...
Job-ready Graduates cut the cost of postgraduate study for many students. theconversation.com/beyond-50k-a...
Beyond $50k arts degrees: what has Job-ready Graduates done to postgrad study?
Job-ready Graduates created cheaper postgraduate education – especially for nursing students – but this may not last.
theconversation.com
July 18, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Job-ready Graduates cut the cost of postgraduate study for many students. theconversation.com/beyond-50k-a...
The penalty regime under ATEC is surprisingly weak. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/17/r...
Rewards and penalties under ATEC and the new funding system
This post in an overview of rewards and penalties available to ATEC as it enforces mission based compact terms and student places allocations. By the standards of recent higher education regulation…
andrewnorton.id.au
July 18, 2026 at 11:10 PM
The penalty regime under ATEC is surprisingly weak. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/17/r...
For the first time since the late 1990s the majority of domestic postgraduate coursework students are Commonwealth supported rather than full-fee. My latest paper with @leorh.bsky.social explains why. melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/research/pub...
Occasional Paper Series
Occasional Paper Series
melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au
July 13, 2026 at 11:02 PM
For the first time since the late 1990s the majority of domestic postgraduate coursework students are Commonwealth supported rather than full-fee. My latest paper with @leorh.bsky.social explains why. melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/research/pub...
The government's pseudo-uncapping of places for equity students is a bureaucratic mess. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/13/p...
Proposed new funding system, part 5: What has happened to effectively demand driven funding for equity groups?
In his second reading speech for the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 education minister Jason Clare said that it will ‘help more people from poor families and…
andrewnorton.id.au
July 13, 2026 at 6:04 AM
The government's pseudo-uncapping of places for equity students is a bureaucratic mess. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/13/p...
Australian higher education needs based funding. More a reboot of existing equity group and regional campus funding than genuinely needs based. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/09/t...
The proposed new funding system, part 4: Needs based funding
The idea behind needs based funding is that universities should be paid according to student characteristics, not just the disciplines of the subjects students take. While agreeing with the broad c…
andrewnorton.id.au
July 9, 2026 at 5:28 AM
Australian higher education needs based funding. More a reboot of existing equity group and regional campus funding than genuinely needs based. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/09/t...
ATEC's power to allocate international student places is another case of excessive bureaucratic discretion. But it could easily have been worse. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/06/a...
ATEC’s allocation of international student commencements
In presentations earlier this year I told audiences that the government will try again to impose provider-level caps on international students. Its 2024 attempt failed due to a surprise Coalition-G…
andrewnorton.id.au
July 6, 2026 at 5:06 AM
ATEC's power to allocate international student places is another case of excessive bureaucratic discretion. But it could easily have been worse. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/06/a...
The government wants to put much harder limits on university enrolments. This post explains the very complex methods they plan to use. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/02/t...
The proposed new funding system, part 3: capping over-enrolments
The Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026, in itself, does not do what it says in the cover. Although the minister’s promotional material focuses on new Commonwealt…
andrewnorton.id.au
July 2, 2026 at 5:43 AM
The government wants to put much harder limits on university enrolments. This post explains the very complex methods they plan to use. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/07/02/t...
How ATEC will allocate student places to universities. Suprise restrictions on allocating to specific courses, but ATEC may have workarounds. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/06/30/t...
The proposed new funding system, part 2: ATEC allocations of Commonwealth supported places to public universities
In the previous post, I outlined how the minister would set total numbers of Commonwealth supported student places if the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 is passed.…
andrewnorton.id.au
July 1, 2026 at 12:38 AM
How ATEC will allocate student places to universities. Suprise restrictions on allocating to specific courses, but ATEC may have workarounds. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/06/30/t...
How the number of government subsidised university places will be set in Australia, if new funding legislation gets parliamentary support. The first in a series of legislation explainers. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/06/29/t...
The proposed new funding system, part 1: Setting the number of fully-funded Commonwealth supported places
This post is the first in a series of explainers on how the new Commonwealth supported student funding system will operate if the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 is…
andrewnorton.id.au
June 29, 2026 at 3:50 AM
How the number of government subsidised university places will be set in Australia, if new funding legislation gets parliamentary support. The first in a series of legislation explainers. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/06/29/t...
New higher education funding legislation was introduced today.
It wants to expand enrolments while capping them at the university level.
My Conversation article explores these semi-contradictory policies.
theconversation.com/caps-are-com...
It wants to expand enrolments while capping them at the university level.
My Conversation article explores these semi-contradictory policies.
theconversation.com/caps-are-com...
Caps are coming for domestic uni places, but the government also wants to grow student numbers. Can this work?
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has introduced a bill under which universities face new caps on their domestic student numbers.
theconversation.com
June 25, 2026 at 7:42 AM
New higher education funding legislation was introduced today.
It wants to expand enrolments while capping them at the university level.
My Conversation article explores these semi-contradictory policies.
theconversation.com/caps-are-com...
It wants to expand enrolments while capping them at the university level.
My Conversation article explores these semi-contradictory policies.
theconversation.com/caps-are-com...
Trends in domestic postgraduate coursework enrolments. Health courses the biggest source of growth over the decade to 2024. Students more online, more part-time, and younger. Women trending towards 2/3 enrolments. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/06/23/t...
Trends in domestic postgraduate coursework education
I have a paper coming out soon, co-authored with Ren-Hao Xu, on the rise of Commonwealth supported places in postgraduate coursework degrees. It is another in our series on university decision-maki…
andrewnorton.id.au
June 23, 2026 at 3:56 AM
Trends in domestic postgraduate coursework enrolments. Health courses the biggest source of growth over the decade to 2024. Students more online, more part-time, and younger. Women trending towards 2/3 enrolments. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/06/23/t...
After many articles on how Job-ready Graduates affected students, one on how it affected university decision-making. Short answer: Many of the apparent incentives did not strongly influence outcomes.
University missions and financial incentives: the response of universities to Australia’s Job-ready Graduates policy - The Australian Educational Researcher
Funding incentives are widely used to steer universities towards meeting policy objectives, but they do not always produce the expected outcomes. The headline policy of Australia’s Job-ready Graduates...
link.springer.com
June 15, 2026 at 4:08 AM
After many articles on how Job-ready Graduates affected students, one on how it affected university decision-making. Short answer: Many of the apparent incentives did not strongly influence outcomes.
The self-reported status gap between university graduates and people with vocational qualifications is narrowing. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/06/10/s...
Self-reported status by educational attainment, an update
It’s common to hear concern about the ‘status’ of vocational education. An article yesterday in The Conversation reported a ‘stigma’ associated with school leavers cho…
andrewnorton.id.au
June 10, 2026 at 5:25 AM
The self-reported status gap between university graduates and people with vocational qualifications is narrowing. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/06/10/s...
In higher education policy the rule of law is being replaced with rule by email. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/05/20/r...
Rule by email in higher education policy – over-enrolment and governance
This post is about unlegislated higher education policies. The story starts last year with reports that the government was imposing caps on commencing Commonwealth supported places, which reached t…
andrewnorton.id.au
May 20, 2026 at 2:56 AM
In higher education policy the rule of law is being replaced with rule by email. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/05/20/r...
TEQSA's intervention in the process for choosing a new ANU Chancellor was a mistake. It puts the ANU Council at risk of non-compliance with its legislation. It sets a bad precedent for TEQSA using 'voluntary' undertakings to exceed its own legal authority. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/05/11/t...
TEQSA’s response to the Australian National University’s governance issues
Julie Bishop quit as ANU Chancellor last Friday, but not without a parting shot: “Following unprecedented and co-ordinated interference, the ANU Council is no longer able to discharge its legal and…
andrewnorton.id.au
May 11, 2026 at 11:13 PM
TEQSA's intervention in the process for choosing a new ANU Chancellor was a mistake. It puts the ANU Council at risk of non-compliance with its legislation. It sets a bad precedent for TEQSA using 'voluntary' undertakings to exceed its own legal authority. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/05/11/t...
The Australian Tertiary Education Commission signalling the new more interventionist approach to higher education policy. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/05/06/a...
ATEC’s interim statement of strategic priorities
Yesterday the Australian Tertiary Education Commission issued an interim statement of strategic priorities. This statement will guide university mission based compacts for 2027. This post covers th…
andrewnorton.id.au
May 6, 2026 at 4:22 AM
The Australian Tertiary Education Commission signalling the new more interventionist approach to higher education policy. andrewnorton.id.au/2026/05/06/a...