12 Australian universities prioritized for student visas

By Doan Hung September 23, 2025 | 05:03 am PT

International students at 12 universities will have their visas processed faster, in a bid to curb the rush toward the largest, most popular institutions, the Australian Department of Home Affairs has announced.

Among the 12 priority institutions, Swinburne University of Technology has the largest allocation with 4,523 international places, followed by La Trobe University with 4,100, according to the policy was outlined in the department's report on international enrollment caps for universities in 2025, released last week.

Edith Cowan University, Griffith University, and the University of Wollongong each receive 3,600 places; the remaining universities receive fewer than 3,000.

Khuôn viên Đại học Công nghệ Swinburne, Australia. Ảnh: Swinburne University of Technology Fanpage

Students at Swinburne University of Technology campus, Australia. Photo from the university's Facebook

Students admitted to these universities will have their visa applications considered more quickly. The move aims to prevent the biggest universities from being flooded with applications while less prominent institutions are left at a disadvantage.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, priority status does not affect visa outcomes. All student visa applications are assessed by authorized officers regardless of a provider’s priority level; the status only affects processing time.

As of June last year, the median processing time was 94 days for undergraduate programs and 171 days for vocational training programs.

2025 international enrollment allocations (prioritized universities)

No.	University	2025 international intake cap
1	Swinburne University of Technology	4,523
2	La Trobe University	4,100
3	Edith Cowan University	3,600
4	Griffith University	3,600
5	University of Wollongong	3,600
6	Flinders University	3,000
7	Victoria University	2,357
8	James Cook University	2,200
9	University of Tasmania	2,200
10	Southern Cross University (SCU)	1,300
11	University of New England	700
12	University of Southern Queensland	50*

The University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) appears on both priority and standard lists because priority status covers 50 places in exempt categories, school students, postgraduate researchers, and government-sponsored students, whose visas are fast-tracked. The remaining 950 general offshore applicants are processed at the standard speed.

Over the past two years, Australia has steadily tightened policies affecting international students to curb overall migration.

Post-study work rights have been reduced from 4–6 years to 2–4 years, and English-language requirements have risen to IELTS 6.0–6.5 (up 0.5). Proof-of-funds has increased to AU$29,710 (US$19,584), about 20% higher than before, while the student visa application fee has risen to AU$2,000, among the highest globally.

Last year, Australia hosted 1.1 million international students, one of the world's largest cohorts. As of April, there were over 33,000 Vietnamese students in the country.