Welcome funding to support international students

The University of Adelaide has welcomed today’s announcement by the South Australian Government of a $13.8 million support package for international students in hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Rathjen says the support package recognises the critical role that international students play in the community and to the State’s economy, including the cultural richness they have brought to Adelaide and the University of Adelaide.

The State Government’s International Student Support Package includes a $10 million fund for international and pathway students impacted by COVID-19 at the state’s public universities.

“We thank the State Government for its commitment to South Australia’s international student community,” says Professor Rathjen.

“We know that many of our international students right now are facing stress and hardship; they are isolated from their homes, their families, and their support networks. They may have lost their part-time jobs in Australia, as well as some of their family support from overseas.

“This will be very welcome additional support for our students and reassurance for their families back home.”

Professor Rathjen says the University of Adelaide places a special value on its relationship with international students, alumni, and partners, and their role in connecting South Australia to the rest of the world.

“The University of Adelaide was one of only eight universities in Australia that participated in the Colombo Plan in the 1950s, welcoming students particularly from around South-East Asia. Many of those students went on to do great things: becoming leaders in their communities and around the world.

“This will be very welcome additional support for our students and reassurance for their families back home.”Professor Peter Rathjen

“Our role as a globally connected university has grown even stronger since the 1950s. And today, again at a moment of need, we at the University of Adelaide have come together with the South Australian Government to support international students.

“This package makes it possible for international students to maintain their studies at the University of Adelaide – to get an education here, which they can take out into the world, which they can build upon to connect Adelaide and South Australia with the rest of the world, and to ensure that the University of Adelaide, in the way that a great university should, is also connected with the world of ideas.”

Today’s announcement complements the University of Adelaide’s Student Support Package, announced recently in partnership with the Adelaide University Union (AUU). This support is available to all University of Adelaide students and focuses on students’ physical and mental wellbeing, and academic success, with targeted financial assistance for those in acute hardship.

Further information about the State Government’s International Student Support Package can be seen here and the University of Adelaide’s Student Support Package here.

A video message from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Rathjen, can also be viewed here.