UNIVERSITY UPDATES

A guide to Australian Universities

Last week, we looked at the differences between UK and US Universities. Today, we would like to share with you about Australian Universities.

Explore Australia’s top universities

Australian Universities are some of the best in the world. Six universities in Australia are ranked in the top 100 in the THE World University Rankings. The top university in the country is the University of Melbourne.

Admissions

International students have the option to start university in the first semester (March-June) or the second semester (July-October). If students want to start in the first semester, applications must reach the university by December at the latest. The latest deadline to start in the second semester is in May. In addition to completing an application form online, by mail or in person, students will also have to pay a one-time application fee. You should send any test results directly to the institution when you receive them.

Costs

To study an undergraduate degree, you’re looking at tuition fees between A$15,000 and A$33,000 per year. However, there are a number of Australian government scholarships directly from the universities that can help students and families meet the costs. In particular, the Australia Awards scholarships are available only to international students from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific. The closing dates for applications are mostly in April, but this differs for different countries. A handy search tool for all scholarships available for international students who meet different criteria is managed by the Australian government on their website.

Visa

In almost all cases, students need to apply for a student visa (subclass 500) for the duration of  full-time studies. Students can only apply when they have accepted a place to study at a specific university in Australia, as they need an offer letter or enrolment letter. The application can cost about A$550 as a one-time fee.