On September 16, premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan announced the Yes to International Students fund – a new $5 million investment to help bring more TNE partnerships to life.

The new fund will offer targeted seed funding to Victorian universities and TAFEs so they can kick start and grow partnerships to deliver more education overseas, the Victorian government clarified.

Allan’s announcement was made in Delhi, India, following details of an expanded partnership between Melbourne’s RMIT University and leading Indian university BITS Pilani.

“We say yes to international students because they boost our economy and our global reputation, they support our small businesses, and they keep our multicultural state connected with the world,” said Allan.

“We say no to the federal government’s caps. Our new fund is going to help our unis and TAFEs find innovative ways to challenge them, and make our offering to international students even stronger.”

The Victorian government said it plans to work with universities and training providers on the design of the fund and further details are expected in the economic growth statement later this year.

At the moment, TNE students are currently proposed to be exempt under Australia’s National Planning Level reforms but Allan is further calling on the federal government to guarantee TNE students won’t be counted towards the cap.

Members of the Victorian government continue to make clear their opposition to the caps which are set at 270,000 new international student commencements overall for the calendar year 2025.

We want to axe the caps, but we also want to bring something positive to the table that can grow our economy and keep us innovating

Tim Pallas, Victoria’s minister for economic growth

Tim Pallas, Victoria’s minister for economic growth commented: “We want to axe the caps, but we also want to bring something positive to the table that can grow our economy and keep us innovating.”

Meanwhile, Victoria’s minister for skills and TAFE, Gayle Tierney said: “We back our universities and TAFEs to deliver world-class training, here and abroad and we absolutely stand by them against these damaging caps.”

One Victorian university to welcome the news, with its already well-established TNE offering, is Deakin University.

“The premier’s announcement in Delhi shows that Victoria is open for business in supporting innovative transnational education partnerships and welcoming international students to our universities,” said Deakin vice-chancellor Iain Martin.

Deakin’s GIFT City Campus is India’s first international university branch campus and the culmination of a 30-year partnership between Deakin and India.

Meanwhile, Deakin is preparing to open the Deakin University Lancaster University Indonesia Campus in Bandung, West Java. The joint campus is set to support the educational and research aspirations of the Indonesian Government and deliver social, cultural and economic benefits.