Adelaide University's international student numbers: what Kuwaiti students should check on MoHE recognition

Adelaide University, the institution formed from the merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia, is enrolling fewer international students than planned and facing a large revenue shortfall. This matters for Kuwaiti students because Kuwait's Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) list of approved Australian universities still names the two predecessor institutions separately.

What happened

Adelaide University is not on track to meet its international student targets and is staring down tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue [S1]. International student enrolments were 40 per cent below target for semester one this year, and a spokesperson told the ABC that a similar percentage decrease occurred in semester two [S1]. In May, Vice-Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips said this shortfall was creating a projected revenue shortfall of $90 million [S1]. Adelaide University has enrolled 16,677 individual international students in 2026, compared with 20,820 enrolled by the two predecessor institutions at the same point last year [S1].

The merger's business case had projected the new university could attract 6,000 additional international students by 2034 compared with 2023 enrolments at the two former universities [S1]. The university blames the federal government's policy changes over the past two years, including a rise in student visa fees to $2,500, more visa refusals, a soft cap on new international enrolments, and the latest measure barring international students from bringing family members to Australia, announced by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke [S1]. Professor Jessica Gallagher, the university's deputy vice chancellor for international and external engagement, said reaching international student targets will now be a much tougher challenge [S1].

What it means for Kuwaiti students and families

Kuwait MoHE Decision 44/2018 lists 37 named Australian universities where Kuwaiti students may enrol for bachelor's and postgraduate study [S2] [S3]. The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia appear as separate entries on this list. Families weighing an offer from the new Adelaide University should check the official MoHE page, since equivalency on return to Kuwait depends on the institution's status on the Kuwaiti list, not on its academic reputation or enrolment numbers.

What has not changed

Being CRICOS-registered does not make an institution MoHE-approved; Kuwaiti recognition depends on the Kuwaiti lists [S2]. The underlying rule has not shifted either: Kuwaiti students may study abroad only at universities for which a ministerial decision is issued on the recommendation of the National Bureau for Academic Accreditation and Education Quality Assurance, a rule Decision 44/2018 traces to Ministerial Decision 272 of 3 October 2012 [S3].

Article 1 of that decision permits enrolment "only" at the listed institutions for bachelor's and postgraduate study [S3]. Other conditions remain in force, including that programmes follow the traditional education system with regular attendance, that the first cohort must have already graduated from the offering faculty, and that master's programmes must not be "executive" programmes [S3].

What to do now

• Check the official Kuwait MoHE list of approved institutions, published by the Kuwait Cultural Office, before applying to Adelaide University [S2].
• Do not rely on CRICOS registration alone as evidence of MoHE approval [S2].
• Confirm any offer relates to a programme that follows the traditional education system with regular attendance, as required by Article 2 [S3].
• For master's applicants, confirm the programme is not classed as "executive", per Article 4 [S3].
• Confirm prior MoHE or Cultural Office approval for study abroad before enrolling, per Article 4.1 of MoHE's equivalency regulation [S4].
• Speak with Academics Solutions before committing to an offer at the new Adelaide University.

The bottom line

The Adelaide University merger is a live situation, both in terms of the university's own enrolment numbers and its status on Kuwait's approved list. The two former universities are listed separately on that list, so families should check the official MoHE page directly before accepting an offer from the merged institution.