There are fears rising costs and inadequate support for international students in Australia are putting the community's academic performance and financial stability at risk.

“It’s getting harder being an international student in Australia because the costs for housing and daily essentials are just increasing,” said Rudraksh Khatiyan, a second-year Bachelor of Computer Science student at the University of Melbourne. 

Khatiyan, one of many international students who aspired to pursue higher education in Australia, has now found himself juggling his studies with part-time employment in order to survive. 

“At times, because of my jobs, I miss out on my on-campus lectures," he said.

"Recently, I had exams and I told my employer that I couldn’t do shifts for a few days."

"Since my employer had fewer people to do shifts, I was threatened that I wouldn’t get shifts in the future if I missed out on the current working hours,” Khatiyan said.

He is one of the large cohort of international students living in Australia. Managing financially has become an increasing challenge for many individuals, especially without access to the same support systems as domestic students.

Khatiyan said he recommends that students pursue higher education in Australia but on one condition. 

“If the students and their families can bear up the cost of your living and education, then you should definitely come to this country but, if you think that you can only focus on studies and your financial conditions back home are not that strong, then you should think twice,” he said.  

International students also face the significant expense of finding accommodation in Australia. 

A shared apartment for example in Carlton on the property website Scape is a minimum spend of $419 per week for a room, and if someone prefers to stay in a decent apartment in Melbourne’s CBD, the minimum weekly cost rises.

Ngaire Bogemann, the President of the National Union of Students, also said that it’s become more difficult for international students to manage finances. 

“One of the primary concerns this year has been the cost of living crisis and the lack of government support for students," she said. 

"For domestic students, there is support for payment systems such as Youth Allowance, but there is no such financial support for international students.”

“In this year’s pre-budget submission to the government, we suggested introducing caps on student accommodation rent at no more than 25 per cent of the average weekly student income to make sure that at least student accommodation becomes accessible and affordable for all the students coming to Australia.”

According to the 2022-23 data by the Federal Department of Education, international education was worth $36.4 billion to the Australian economy.

Associate Professor Peter Hurley, also the director of the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University, said that international students bring a lot of revenue to Australia.

“The international student population is enormous, and they feel they have crucial roles in the workplace," he said. 

“I think there are a lot of inconsistencies. Only undergraduate and domestic students are eligible for the concession in Victoria still, postgraduate international students are not, and it doesn’t make sense because postgraduate students are vital to the country.”

Hurley also discussed how much one should depend on the cost-of-living calculator the Australian government has provided for students to add up their day-to-day bills when living in the capital cities. 

“The cost of living calculator is a helpful tool, and it will give you a rough idea of expenses in this challenging market," he said.

"But it solely depends on each student on what kind of things they need for survival.”