New data reveals growing interest in teaching degrees across Australia

Australia is seeing a renewed surge in people choosing to study teaching, offering a promising outlook for the future of the profession.

Recent data from the Department of Education shows a significant increase in interest in undergraduate teaching courses for 2026. Applications to study teaching have risen by 6.5 per cent, while domestic undergraduate offers have grown by 6.3 per cent. This follows strong growth over the past two years, with domestic commencements in teaching degrees increasing by 9 per cent in 2025, and 10 per cent the year before.

Education Minister the Hon Jason Clare MP described the trend as “good news”, emphasising the essential role that teachers play in shaping Australia’s future.

“Being a teacher is the most important job in the world, and we don't have enough of them,” Mr Clare said. “We’re now starting to see this turn around.”

The data marks a turnaround after previous declines in the number of people choosing to enter the profession.

“When we were elected the number of people studying teaching was going down. Now it’s going up,” Mr Clare said.

The increase reflects a coordinated effort by the Australian Government and state and territory partners to support the teaching workforce. Initiatives aimed at making the profession more attractive include pay rises for teachers, reducing workload, and a suite of incentives for future teachers.

Among the measures credited with driving growth are:

• Commonwealth Teacher Scholarships, offering up to $40,000 to study teaching;
• Paid professional experience placements (paid prac), giving teaching students financial support while they gain hands‑on experience in schools.

The government says these initiatives are helping ease financial barriers and encourage more young people to consider teaching as a career.

“I want more young people to leap out of high school and want to become a teacher, rather than a lawyer or a banker,” Mr Clare said.

This year also marks the start of the most significant reforms to teacher training in a generation. Changes to the core content of teacher education degrees aim to ensure graduates are better prepared to support children’s literacy, numeracy and behaviour management.

The updated curriculum includes a stronger focus on:

• Teaching children to read, write and count effectively;
• Supporting positive classroom behaviour;
• Classroom management and practical skills needed from day one.

These reforms, the government says, will help future teachers enter the workforce with confidence and capability.

The preliminary data reflects commencements with census dates up to 31 December 2025 and is subject to final confirmation, expected in the third quarter of 2026.

Read the Minister's media release here.