One consideration is the concern that student protesters may be emboldened by domestic disturbances to thrust greater political costs on leaders. While Australian universities and tertiary peak bodies have welcomed the move, we also need to consider other motivations for the snap decision by Beijing. Others note that this occurred conveniently as a thawing of diplomatic relations with Australia took place. Some have written that the policy shift was related to Beijing’s move towards a new post-COVID-19 normal. Ostensibly, the ban was adopted to ensure the quality of education experiences for the 700,000 Chinese tertiary students enrolled to study overseas globally. China’s education ministry provided exemptions for some, but for a significant portion of the 50,000 Chinese nationals with student visas for Australia, they would be required to migrate immediately to continue their studies. The first semester of the tertiary year would begin less than a month later. This set Chinese students enrolled at universities in Australia scrambling to secure international flights, visas, and accommodation. The Chinese government ceased recognising degrees studied online from foreign institutions at the end of January 2023. This is a boon for the university sector, but despite Beijing’s stated intentions, there could be other motivations for the unexpected policy shift. China’s snap decision to ban overseas degrees studied online led to a mad scramble for Chinese students to return to Australia.

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