Scapegoating international students for the rental crisis? Insights from large-scale evidence (2017–2024) in Australia

Abstract Traditional international student destinations in the West are grappling with the thorny issue of rental crisis. In this challenging context for all, international students are caught within the political whims that blame them for the crisis. In this paper, we draw on large-scale evidence from Australia — including data collected at 76 time points from 2017 to 2023 at the national level and 79 time points from 2017 to 2024 at the capital city level — to investigate the statistical relationship between international student numbers and rental costs for local residents, while accounting for vacancy rate and rental inflation. Our findings challenge the politicised connection between international student numbers and rental costs. This study, the first of its kind in Australia and among the most recent internationally, makes a significant contribution by providing an evidence-grounded rebuttal against scapegoating international students for the rental crisis. It also enriches the emerging literature on international student housing, which we frame as part of a broader problematic termed “international studentification”. We caution against politicising international students in Australia and beyond, inviting future research to explore alternative pathways to establish a more just policy environment that enacts social and housing equity.