International students are returning to Australian campuses en masse with early indicators revealing that 2023 could be a blockbuster year, possibly even eclipsing the 2019 record of $40 billion in export revenue.

Student recruitment firms say prospective student leads are at a 12-year high. An unexpected bullish return of students in the first half of 2022, especially since borders did not reopen until last December, is expected to flow on into record enrolments in 2023.