Hundreds of international students have had their first taste of Australian uni life at Federation University this week, providing a welcome post-pandemic boost to the institution's coffers.
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About 350 new international students have moved to Ballarat to start new courses, alongside around 550 continuing their studies at Federation University's Mount Helen, SMB and Camp Street campuses.
More international students are likely to join them in second semester, with a backlog in processing of student visas forcing some to delay their travels.
Travel restrictions during the pandemic hit the university's bottom line with international students unable to travel to Australia.
According to Federation University's annual reports, income from fee-paying overseas students at Fed Uni campuses in Australia was $149,667,000 in 2019 but dropped 60 per cent across the two years to $59,281,000 in 2021. The university's 2022 annual report has not yet been released.
The influx of international students is welcome not just from the university but the wider Ballarat community with new arrivals encouraged to join local sporting teams, take on part time jobs and get involved in the city to ensure they have the full "Australian experience" of studying here.
Deputy vice chancellor (global and engagement) Carolyn Chong said international student numbers were "roughly what we expected" but would grow throughout the year.
"We are definitely still seeing very strong interest to come back," she said. "All the students know we are out of lockdown, are keen to come back and are coming back as quickly as visas can be arranged ... but there is still a bit of a backlog with Home Affairs and we expect numbers to come back even more through the rest of this year in semester two," Ms Chong said.
In 2019, before the COVID pandemic, there were just over 800 international students at Federation University's Ballarat campuses.
Ms Chong said university O-Week activities this week were a welcome return after the pandemic and last year's uncertainty, when COVID waves peaked across Ballarat in the first half of the year.
In total, around 1300 new domestic and international students and more than 2000 continuing students return to Federation's Ballarat campuses this month.
"It's been great to see people back on campus," she said.
There are food trucks, activities in the sport centre, scavenger hunts, university clubs and other events to encourage new students to get to know the university, and each other.
"It's great from an international student point of view that so many of them want to come here to have the Australian experience and getting to know Australian students is really important.
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"Things like O-Week and FedFest and participation really help them get to know each other, and for us what's also important is the connection to the wider community.
"What has worked quite well is encouraging students to join local cricket, basketball and sporting clubs as a way to get to know people, and ... speaking to quite a few business and tourism operators who all have skill shortages, the return of international students with so many of them looking for part time work will help local businesses as well."
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