No Money Left”: International Students Live in Poverty

When 21‑year‑old Alipriya Biswas arrived in Melbourne to begin her journalism degree, she anticipated the long nights, the lectures and the friendships. She did not expect to run out of money so quickly. With only AUD 200 ($130) a week — the minimum living cost requirement for her student visa — Biswas soon found that “there was literally no money left” for essentials beyond the bare basics. For nearly a year she lived on rice, tinned tuna and little else, cutting back wherever possible to keep a roof over her head while juggling study and low‑paid work.
Biswas’s story is far from unique. Across high‑income host countries including Australia, the UK, Canada and Ireland, increasing numbers of international students are confronting a stark reality: the financial buffers they were expected to rely on before departure have proven insufficient, leaving them struggling with poverty, food insecurity, and housing distress.
The Hidden Reality of Student Poverty
Though international education is promoted globally as an opportunity for mobility and future prosperity, recent research and media reports reveal a more complex picture. Many students arrive with savings — often provided through family sacrifice — that fail to stretch in the face of high living costs, restricted work rights and rising rent. In Australia, students are limited to working 48 hours per fortnight during study periods, complicating efforts to supplement meagre savings.
Experts caution that many international students find themselves in “highly precarious financial and living situations,” often unaware of how much harder it will be to meet everyday costs compared with their home countries. One study conducted post‑pandemic found nearly half of international students surveyed in Melbourne experienced food insecurity, a level significantly higher than the general population.
Monash University
In Europe, support organisations have reported increasing numbers of students turning to food banks and community kitchens, sometimes queuing daily for basic meals as they struggle to afford groceries. In Ireland, student support groups have documented cases of overseas learners experiencing “hunger, homelessness, depression and destitution” because the official recommended living income was far too low compared with actual rent and food costs.
Work, Study and the Stress of Survival
Students often take up multiple casual jobs, working in hospitality, retail or delivery services — roles characterised by low pay, irregular hours and little job security. Even working near the legal maximum still doesn’t guarantee enough income to meet rising rental costs or basic expenses like transport and utilities.
One student from China studying at an Australian university said she lived on instant noodles and fast food until she managed to secure part‑time work, underscoring how menial such jobs can be — and how little they actually contribute to financial stability.
The strain of balancing work and academics takes a heavy toll. Researchers note high levels of stress, anxiety and sleep disruption among students who must constantly juggle coursework and survival needs. For many, the pressure of maintaining visas, paying tuition, and avoiding academic failure while barely making ends meet creates an emotional burden comparable to the financial one.
A Systemic Challenge, Not an Individual Failure
Advocates argue that these problems are structural. Unlike domestic students in many countries, international students are often excluded from government welfare support or are required to prove large sums upfront before arriving. This regulatory framework, combined with rapidly rising living costs that far outpace wages and scholarship funding, means that even students from middle‑income backgrounds can find themselves living on the brink.
Russell Group Students' Unions
In the UK, campaigners argue that international students are treated as “cash cows” — welcomed for the revenue they bring but given minimal support once they arrive. Tuition fees, visa charges, and health surcharges have all increased sharply in recent years, widening the gap between expected and actual living expenses.
Russell Group Students' Unions
What Needs to Change
Many experts and student organisations are calling for policy reforms to ensure financial stability for international students. Suggestions include aligning student work rights with realistic living costs, improving access to affordable housing, expanding emergency hardship funds, and increasing transparent pre‑arrival information about the true costs of living abroad.
Until such changes are made, stories like Biswas’s — living on the edge of poverty while studying abroad — will remain all too common, illuminating a global education system that often fails the very students it promises opportunity.
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