Australia is currently the third most popular destination for international students in the English-speaking world, behind the United States and the UK. Many international students choose to study there because of the cultural diversity, friendly natives, and high quality of education.
Australia has five of the 30 best cities in the world for students based on student mix, affordability, quality of life, and employer activity – all important elements for students when choosing the best study destination. Each year more than A$200 million is provided by the Australian Government in international scholarships.
Institutions in Australia offer a wide variety of courses and degrees, so international students can easily find the school and field that are right for them. Students can choose between universities, vocational education, and English language training. If necessary, it is easy for students to move between one qualification levels and from one institution to another.
The education starts at the age of five or six. It starts with the preschool education which is not compulsory and can be offered within a school or separately. The primary and secondary school encompasses the compulsory education for Australians. There are a large number of primary and high school across the country with most of them being public schools. It is estimated that public schools amount to 60% of scholars as opposed to 40% in private settings. Universities, on the other hand, are mainly public institutions.
All these education providers must be licensed by the government and must fulfill certain requirements including infrastructure and teaching. The Australian education system has established a standard curriculum so all scholars will be given the same quality of education.
To study in Australia you’ll need to apply for both admission to an institution and also for a student visa from the Australian Government. There are a number of steps you must go through including:
There is a range of entry requirements that you will need to meet both for you institution application and your visa application. This can include:
English language requirements vary between your school and your visa. You normally have to take an exam and verify that you at least have a handle on the English language before you arrive in the country.
In order to go to vocational school (education or training; certificates I to IV), there are absolutely no pre-requisites. You actually, technically, do not even have to have received a certificate or diploma from a secondary institution.
If you are looking to go into an undergraduate program, you must have the equivalent to an Australian Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (known as Year 12 by the Australian Qualifications Framework). Essentially, as long as you have a secondary education certificate or diploma (depending on what your country calls it), you should be eligible to apply for an undergraduate program.
Postgraduate studies are a bit more complicated to get into. Not only do you need to have completed at least one degree at the undergraduate level, you also need to have satisfactory marks in a number of perquisites in order for your certificate to be accepted at a postgraduate institution.
Australia’s standard of living is amongst the highest in the world. Living expenses and tuition costs are considerably lower in Australia than they are in the United States and United Kingdom.
The list below gives you an indication of the range of course costs for different types of qualifications. School – $7,800 to $30,000
English language studies – Around $300 per week depending on course length
Vocational Education and Training (Certificates I to IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma) – $4,000 to $22,000
Undergraduate Bachelor Degree – $15,000 to $33,000
Postgraduate Masters Degree – $20,000 to $37,000
Doctoral Degree – $14,000 to $37,00
The Australian Qualifications Framework is the Australian national policy for the recognized qualification. This is to say that if the university you’re attending a University which is in accordance with this qualification system then your degree is valuable and authorized. The AQF was established in 1995 to unify the education qualifications system in Australia. The framework covers higher education, vocational education and training, and schools. This system is carefully regulated by the Australian government in order to maintain the high standards of education associated with the country.
As an international student on a student visa, you must study with an institution and in a course that is registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). CRICOS registration guarantees that the course and the institution at which you study meet the high standards expected by international students. There are also government organisations responsible for registration/re-registration of institutions and accreditation/re-accreditation of courses.
Higher education – Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA)
VET – Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)
Even though their immigration program is much more lenient than countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, there are still a number of processes that you must go through in order to study in Australia for any period of time.
If you are applying for a student visa in Australia, there are six different types of visas for you to choose from if you are going for tertiary education (there are three more available for primary and secondary school students).
Now that you’ve determined which visa you have to apply for, there are two different ways that your application for a student visa may be processed.
Schools and employers all over the world recognize degrees from Australian schools. Graduates from Australian schools are highly sought after due to the impressive international reputation of the Australian education system. According to statistics, 71.8% of Australian graduates have found a full-time job 4 months after their graduation. In 2017 Bachelor graduates had an unemployment rate of just 3%.