Data source: Department of Home Affairs, Study visa statistics, ingested into SVH's production dataset. Figures for the rolling three month window of March to May 2026. Offshore applications only.
This is data reporting only, not migration advice.
The Department of Home Affairs granted 39.2% of 1,315 decided offshore student visa applications from the Philippines in the March to May 2026 window, down 26.4 percentage points from 65.7% in the December 2025 to February 2026 window.
The Philippines recorded the third steepest offshore grant rate decline by points among the 20 highest-volume nationalities in the period. Zimbabwe fell 46.3 points to 43.2% of its decided offshore applications, and Nigeria fell 31.4 points to 52.1%, placing the Philippines third in the movement ranking at a fall of 26.4 points.
By lodgement volume, the Philippines ranked eighth among offshore markets in the window, with 1,315 decided applications. The prior window rate of 65.7% reflected a period when the Philippines offshore group of applicants had a materially different outcome profile; the 26.4-point fall brought it below the rates recorded for India (49.1% of 7,774) and Nigeria (52.1%) in the current window.
For additional comparison: India's offshore grant rate was 49.1% of 7,774 decided applications, Nepal's was 34.6% of 6,298, and Kenya's was 30.6% of 1,808 decided applications, all in the March to May 2026 window. The Philippines' rate of 39.2% sat above Nepal and Kenya but below the group average for the top-20 group.
What the figures cover
The statistics cover offshore applications only: those lodged while the applicant was outside Australia and decided during the window. Onshore applications from the Philippines are not included in this article. A decided application is one that received a grant or refusal during the March to May 2026 period; applications pending at end of the period are excluded from the grant rate calculation.
The December 2025 to February 2026 comparison uses the same methodology. The 26.4-point fall is the arithmetic difference between the two window rates: 65.7% in the prior window and 39.2% in the current window.
What the data does not show
The Department of Home Affairs has not published an explanation for the decline in the Philippines offshore grant rate between the two windows. The published statistics do not include grounds for individual refusals, processing time data by nationality, or a breakdown by course level or institution type within Philippines offshore applicants.
The fall of 26.4 points for the Philippines sits within a broader pattern of offshore rate movement across several high-volume nationalities in the March to May 2026 window. The data does not identify a single cause or shared factor. Offshore-only data for the Philippines appears in this article; onshore data for the Philippines is not within scope.
Individual circumstances vary. This article is general information, not migration or legal advice. For guidance on a specific application, consult a MARA registered migration agent.
Pro shows the same breakdown across all 20 highest-volume nationalities in a single side-by-side table, with trailing rate movement for each window.
Sources
- Department of Home Affairs, Study visa statistics: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/statistics/visa-statistics/study. Rolling three month window, March to May 2026.
StudyVisaHub is not a registered migration agent and does not provide immigration assistance. This article reports published Australian Government information and is general information only.