The Australian government has suspended new international student enrollments for the ‘Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning)’ (GDML) course (course code BSB80120). This announcement by Julian Hill, the Assistant Minister for International Education, marks the first time Canberra has utilised targeted legal powers to shut down a specific course for international students, rather than targeting an entire institution.
Under the new directive, the ‘Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students’ (CRICOS) registration for providers offering the GDML course will be automatically suspended or cancelled.
Why has Australia Cancelled This Course?
According to the Australian government, there is concrete evidence that some fake students were misusing the GDML course to transfer to other courses within Australia. This means that students already in Australia sought to exploit this course to switch their studies and extend their stay in the country, rather than pursuing genuine education. The primary reasons and factors behind this decision are as follows:
A) Misuse of the visa system and “visa hopping: The Department of Education has found concrete evidence that students already in Australia, who had no genuine intention of studying, were using the GDML course primarily to switch courses while onshore (onshore course transfers). Instead of pursuing management studies, students were allegedly enrolling to circumvent visa restrictions, extend their stay in Australia, or switch between low-cost vocational providers.
B) High rates of visa rejection and course non-completion: Data indicate that, compared to other Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs, this course saw significantly higher student visa rejection rates and very low course completion numbers.
C) Improving integrity and quality: This measure stems from stricter regulatory powers enacted under the ESOS Act, aimed at eliminating low-quality courses that exploit system loopholes and damage Australia’s reputation in the international education sector.
Impact on prospective international students
New international students planning to pursue their higher education through this specific graduate diploma will no longer be able to enroll in the course via Australian VET providers. This decision is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the integrity of Australia’s international education and student visa systems. The government has stated that it will continue to monitor the impact of this measure on the education sector, students, and the visa system.
