The country was the leading source of international student revenue for seven of the ten public universities in NSW, according to the state’s Audit Office

“This creates not only a concentration risk for each university, but for the NSW university sector as a whole,” the Auditor General warns in the report on universities’ 2021 performance.

The state-wide headcount of overseas student enrolments was down 8.6 per cent last year on 2020, to 138 900. However dependence on those from China increased, with numbers up by 2500, to account for over half the state total.

Both UNSW and Uni Sydney grew their revenue from students from China last year by 8 per cent in 2021 – accounting for around 80 per cent of their international student income.