Education Minister Jason Clare revealed on Tuesday there would be a cap of 270,000 international students across universities and vocational institutions in 2025.

The announcement has prompted multiple universities to criticise the move and warn it could have a detrimental impact on the sector.

A spokesperson for the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney said the cap would damage Australia’s reputation for having a world-class higher education sector.

“UNSW is deeply disappointed with the federal government’s proposed cuts to the 2025 international student numbers for Australian universities,” the spokesperson told 9News.

“We are concerned about the detrimental impact this will have on the experience of all students, domestic and international alike.”

The university said it supported the endeavour to correct the ongoing issues related to visa controls but claimed this was not the answer.

“The proposed cuts would significantly damage the economy, the world-class Australian higher education sector and Australia’s reputation, and would reduce domestic student opportunities as well as the diverse perspectives international students contribute,” the spokesperson added.

“UNSW will continue to advocate against damaging caps and for a sensible policy outcome that supports international students who seek a high-quality education in Australia.”

According to the UAC, UNSW has about 20,000 international students from 135 countries.

University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell said it was “strong opposed to the cap”.

“One of the first things we will have to do is seek clarity from the Government about the complex methodology that was used to inform their figures. This methodology was never discussed with us and there has been no consultation process,” Maskell said.

“It is staggering that we continue to have this debate while there is apparently no serious intent to address really major reform issues.”

He said the cap would have “detrimental consequences” for the university and wider sector.

Melbourne University’s student body comprises over 20,000 international students.

Monash University in Melbourne, which is home to about 29,900 international students, said it would support its students when the cap comes into effect.

“Monash will continue to deliver outstanding educational experiences to all our students, regardless of these proposed restrictions,” the university said in a statement.

“Monash remains dedicated to supporting our future international students through these changes.”

RMIT University, meanwhile, said it had already received its higher education international student number for 2025 and would need to review it.

And Sydney University told 9News it would “assess the likely impact on our core operations of education and research” and on the community.

The spokesperson described international higher education as “one of Australia’s most valuable exports”.

Australian National University told 9News the proposed cap would mean a reduction in commencing international students for 2025. It last reported 8292 in 2021 international students were studying at ANU.

The further detail provided by the Minister on new international student caps is a significant announcement for the ANU community.

“The proposed caps will mean a reduction in our commencing international student numbers from next year, as will be the case for many Australian universities,” a spokesperson for ANU said.

“The exact numbers are still subject to data verification between universities and the Department of Education and we are working through what this means for our community, including its financial impact.”