EDU Holdings delivers record enrolments with 36% growth in T1 2026
EDU Holdings has reported EDU Holdings T1 2026 Enrolments totalling a record 6,627 students, representing 36% growth on the prior corresponding period. The tertiary education provider’s dual-business structure, comprising Ikon Institute for Higher Education and Australian Learning Group (ALG) for Vocational Education and Training, delivered 1,163 new student enrolments, up 5% year-on-year.
The result continues the momentum from previous reporting periods, with the growth trajectory reflecting the company’s strategic pivot toward higher education. ASX: EDU operates across both higher education and vocational training segments, with the former increasingly dominating the portfolio mix.
For investors, record enrolments signal the company’s growth strategy is translating into tangible scale. The layering effect from multi-year courses provides compounding revenue visibility, as each new cohort contributes to total enrolments for approximately three years.
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Higher education now dominates EDU’s portfolio
Ikon Institute now accounts for 80% of total enrolments, up from 66% in the prior corresponding period. This strategic shift toward higher education is even more pronounced in new student intake, with higher education representing 90% of new enrolments. The segment delivered 1,049 new higher education enrolments compared to 114 in vocational training.
The mix shift carries material implications for revenue quality and margin profile. Higher education delivers longer average study duration, higher course fees, lower agent commissions, and operates in what the company describes as a more rational competitive landscape relative to the vocational education and training sector.
| Metric | T1’26 | T1’25 | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Enrolments | 6,627 | 4,887 | +36% | Record high |
| New Student Enrolments | 1,163 | 1,108 | +5% | Includes HE and VET |
| HE Share of Total | 80% | 66% | +14pp | Strategic shift |
| HE New Enrolments | 1,049 | Not stated | N/A | 90% of new intake |
| VET New Enrolments | 114 | Not stated | N/A | Softened conditions |
Higher education benefits from structural advantages that support improved unit economics. The longer course duration, combined with higher fee structures and reduced agent commission exposure, creates a more defensible revenue base than shorter-cycle vocational programmes.
New courses fuelling growth momentum
Courses launched in 2025 accounted for 24% of Ikon’s total enrolments in Trimester 1 2026, validating product-market fit for the expanded portfolio. The company launched two additional higher education courses in T1’26, targeting both domestic and international student markets.
The new course launches comprise:
- Bachelor of Social Work (targeting domestic and international students)
- Master of Social Work (Qualifying) (targeting domestic and international students)
Ikon’s higher education enrolments were supported by strong uptake of new postgraduate courses and a record intake of domestic students. The domestic student component demonstrates diversification beyond international recruitment pipelines, reducing concentration risk in visa policy and offshore agent channels.
Successful course expansion validates the company’s ability to organically grow its portfolio to capture demand in skills-priority areas. The social work courses align with Australia’s identified workforce shortages, positioning the company to benefit from both domestic and international demand in regulated professional pathways.
Understanding the layering effect in tertiary education
Higher education courses average approximately three years in duration, creating a compounding or “layering” effect as new student intakes add to a growing base of continuing students. Each new cohort contributes to total enrolments for the duration of their programme, typically three years, rather than single-term courses common in some vocational training.
This layering mechanism means total enrolments grow faster than new enrolments alone. A cohort entering in 2024 contributes to 2024, 2025, and 2026 total enrolments, while a 2025 cohort adds to 2025 and 2026 figures. The mathematical effect compounds as each year’s intake layers onto previous years’ continuing students.
The company specifically noted this dynamic in its announcement, stating that “Ikon’s total enrolments continue to benefit from a layering effect, with new student intakes adding to a growing base of continuing students.” This provides increased revenue visibility given the multi-year duration of Ikon programmes.
For investors, this layering effect means current enrolment growth has a multiplier impact on future revenue. Each cohort contributes for roughly three years, creating predictable forward earnings visibility not typical in shorter-cycle vocational programmes. The 36% growth in total enrolments reflects both new intake and the accumulation of prior cohorts still progressing through their studies.
Navigating regulatory change from April 2026
From 1 April 2026, education providers will no longer be permitted to pay commissions to education agents on students transferring from other providers prior to completing their principal course of study. Students remain permitted to transfer between providers, with institutions able to undertake direct recruitment activities and agents able to support transferring students on a fee-for-service basis.
The company has been implementing mitigation strategies ahead of and in response to the National Code change. While transferring students currently represent a material proportion of new student enrolments, this proportion has been declining as diversification initiatives progress.
Mitigation strategies include:
- Building direct recruitment capability for transferring students
- Developing alternative agent engagement models
- Increasing focus on domestic recruitment channels
- Expanding offshore international student recruitment
- Ongoing investment in course portfolio expansion
The company’s other recruitment channels comprise domestic students at Ikon, offshore international students, and onshore international students progressing to further study after completing their principal course. The latter category remains unaffected by the commission restrictions as these students have completed their initial programme.
While the regulatory change introduces near-term uncertainty around a currently material channel, management’s proactive diversification reduces reliance on the affected segment. The shift toward domestic and offshore recruitment aligns with the broader strategic pivot to higher education, where the company reported a record intake of domestic students in T1’26.
VET segment remains strategically valuable
Vocational education and training enrolments softened during the period, reflecting tighter visa settings and challenging sector conditions. Despite reduced relative contribution, ALG remains strategically valuable to the group’s portfolio, supporting student diversity and providing progression pathways into Ikon.
The vocational training segment functions as a feeder system for the higher-value higher education business. Students completing vocational qualifications at ALG may progress to undergraduate or postgraduate study at Ikon, supporting long-term student lifetime value while hedging recruitment channel risk.
The company’s announcement noted that ALG, notwithstanding its reduced relative contribution, remains strategically valuable by supporting student diversity and providing progression pathways into Ikon. This internal progression mechanism creates a conversion funnel from vocational to higher education, potentially improving student acquisition economics over time.
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What’s next for EDU Holdings
ASX: EDU has outlined its enrolment reporting schedule for the remainder of 2026, providing regular visibility checkpoints for investors tracking execution against the growth thesis. The Board stated it remains confident in the company’s long-term positioning as a quality provider operating in high-growth sectors aligned to Australia’s skills priorities.
Upcoming enrolment reporting schedule:
- Week commencing 15 June 2026: ALG Term 2, 2026 and Ikon Trimester 2, 2026
- Week commencing 12 October 2026: ALG Terms 3 & 4, 2026 and Ikon Trimester 3, 2026
The company continues to invest in course portfolio expansion, with the two new social work programmes launched in T1’26 representing ongoing efforts to address skills-priority areas. The combination of record domestic student intake, growing higher education dominance, and proactive diversification of recruitment channels positions the business to navigate regulatory change while maintaining growth momentum.
At this stage, the impact of the National Code change remains uncertain. The Board is closely monitoring market developments, with the company’s performance in the upcoming reporting periods likely to provide clearer indicators of how successfully mitigation strategies are offsetting commission restrictions on transferring students.
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