ANU also said it would waive fees for any student who failed remote study units, and has put back the deadline to withdraw without academic or financial penalty until June 1.

The University of NSW, which has a three-term year and already had students enrolled in term one when the virus hit, said it would ask students who could not attend term one to defer their study until term two, which begins on June 1.

All Group of Eight universities say they are attempting to deal on an individual basis with students affected by the coronavirus travel bans.

The vice-chancellor of Monash University in Melbourne, Margaret Gardner, said the priority for the entire sector was to match the expectation of international students who came to Australia.

"It's a contract with the student. When they enrol with you they're saying 'I'm coming to you with expectation of a quality education'. And universities expect to deliver on that.

"We don't guarantee they'll pass, but we do guarantee a quality education."


Professor Gardner said international students were essential to the Australian economy and the money from fees allowed universities to buy services from domestic suppliers such as security, cleaning, technical and so on.

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan is due to meet China's ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, on Wednesday. They are due to discuss China's internet firewall, which prevents scholars in China from accessing university websites in Australia, along with other internet content.

The Group of Eight universities say they have been inundated with offers from airlines for charter flights to bring students to Australia. It is estimated 70,000 people are enrolled in Go8 universities for semester one.

Go8 chief executive Vicki Thomson said that once the travel bans were lifted, getting students back to Australia, accommodated and enrolled would be the biggest logistical issue for most universities.

"In the long run we also have to deal with the big-picture effect to Australia's education reputation," she said.