February intake
Classes begin February
Study in Australia
Australia is a study destination in Australia and New Zealand. Its capital is Canberra. English is official. Costs are quoted in Australian dollar ($).
Australia and New Zealand · Canberra · English
5-minute assessmentFree, no obligationNo sign-up to start
01 Overview
About studying in Australia
Australia sits in Australia and New Zealand, with Canberra as its capital, and offers a mature, well-funded university system.
English is an official language, which removes the single largest obstacle most international students face: teaching, assessment and day-to-day administration all happen in a language you already work in, and a language test is often waived outright if your previous study was in English.
On cost, Australia sits in the high-income group, which shapes your budget more than any single university does: tuition runs 20,000 to 50,000 AUD a year, and living costs run 2,000 to 2,800 AUD a month. UNESCO counted 580,287 international students here in 2024.
02 Study paths
Find your study path
Pick the route closest to where you are today. Entry rules, timelines and costs in Australia all change with it.
Undergraduate study, usually beginning straight after school.
- Typical duration
- 3–4 years
Architecture & Built EnvironmentBusiness & ManagementEngineeringLaw
What you need to enter
- School leaving qualification
Durations and entry rules are typical for the level. Each programme sets its own, so check before you shortlist.
Postgraduate study after a bachelor's degree, taught or research-led, often ending in a thesis.
- Typical duration
- 1–2 years
Architecture & Built EnvironmentBusiness & ManagementEngineeringLaw
What you need to enter
- Bachelor's degree
Durations and entry rules are typical for the level. Each programme sets its own, so check before you shortlist.
A postgraduate business degree, usually asking for work experience alongside a first degree.
- Typical duration
- 1–2 years
Architecture & Built EnvironmentBusiness & ManagementEngineeringLaw
What you need to enter
- Bachelor's degree, often with experience
Durations and entry rules are typical for the level. Each programme sets its own, so check before you shortlist.
Doctoral research under supervision, leading to a thesis.
- Typical duration
- 3–5 years
Architecture & Built EnvironmentBusiness & ManagementEngineeringLaw
What you need to enter
- Master's degree or equivalent
Durations and entry rules are typical for the level. Each programme sets its own, so check before you shortlist.
03 Find your field
Popular subjects to study in Australia
Explore the fields taught here, then see the courses and specializations inside each one.
04 Intakes
When can you apply to Australia?
Australia runs 2 intakes a year. Applications open well ahead of the month teaching begins.
JanJanuary: no intake
FebFebruary: intake available
MarMarch: no intake
AprApril: no intake
MayMay: no intake
JunJune: no intake
JulJuly: intake available
AugAugust: no intake
SepSeptember: no intake
OctOctober: no intake
NovNovember: no intake
DecDecember: no intake
July intake
Classes begin July
05 Cost
What does it cost to study in Australia?
Indicative ranges for international students, in AUD. Treat every figure here as a starting point, not a quote.
Tuition
20,000 – 50,000per year
Living expenses
2,000 – 2,800per month
Application fee
50 – 150one time
06 Language
Language requirements for Australia
Requirements are set per programme. Use these as the usual range, and confirm the exact score with each university.
| Test | Requirement | Usual minimum |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Varies by programme | 6.5 |
| TOEFL iBT | Varies by programme | Set by programme |
| PTE Academic | Varies by programme | Set by programme |
| Duolingo English Test | Varies by programme | Set by programme |
07 Work & visa
Study, work and stay in Australia
The pathway from your first semester to work after graduation, and the visa conditions attached to each stage.
Visa overview
Student visa (subclass 500)
At a glance
- Processing time: 4 to 12 weeks
- Visa fee: $2,000
08 By the numbers
Study in Australia by the numbers
The figures that shape a decision, taken from what is published on Universta.
580,287
International students
$20,000
Tuition from, per year
2
Intakes per year
24
Months of post-study work
09 Interpretation
What these figures mean for you
A number on its own decides nothing. Open any figure to see how it changes your shortlist, your budget or your timeline in Australia.
The country's own published figure, recorded by an editor rather than counted by Universta. It says how used to international students the system is -- support services, English-taught provision, visa processing -- rather than anything about your own chances.
The lowest international rate published for Australia; the range runs to $50,000. Your own figure sits somewhere between the two and depends on the university and the programme, not on the destination alone.
February and July. Applications usually open several months ahead of each one, so the intake you are aiming at decides when your documents have to be ready -- not when the course starts.
How long you may stay on to work after finishing. It is the length of the permit, not a job offer: it decides how much time you have to find work that could lead to a longer stay.
10
Cost breakdown
The figures here are quoted in AUD, the currency Australia publishes its own fees in. They are a planning range rather than a quote.
- Tuition: 20,000 to 50,000 AUD a year. The spread is mostly public versus private and undergraduate versus postgraduate, not one university being better than another.
- Living: 2,000 to 2,800 AUD a month. Rent moves this figure more than everything else combined, so a university room in a smaller city is the single biggest saving available to you.
- Application fees: 50-150 AUD per application, which is worth counting if you are applying to six places.
- Health cover: budget for it separately. Most destinations make proof of cover a condition of the visa or of enrolment.
- One-off costs: flights, a deposit on housing, document translation and certification, and the visa fee itself. These land before any stipend or part-time work does.
11
Why study
Australia sits in Australia and New Zealand, with Canberra as its capital, and offers a mature, well-funded university system.
English is an official language, which removes the single largest obstacle most international students face: teaching, assessment and day-to-day administration all happen in a language you already work in, and a language test is often waived outright if your previous study was in English.
On cost, Australia sits in the high-income group, which shapes your budget more than any single university does: tuition runs 20,000 to 50,000 AUD a year, and living costs run 2,000 to 2,800 AUD a month. UNESCO counted 580,287 international students here in 2024.
12
Visa process
Study in Australia runs on Student visa (subclass 500), applied for before you travel and granted against a confirmed place.
- Hold an unconditional offer or a confirmed enrolment. No mission will open a student file without it.
- Assemble the file: passport valid well beyond the course, the offer, proof of funds, health cover and, where asked, a criminal record certificate and a medical.
- Book the appointment early. Slots are the bottleneck in the weeks before the main intake, not the decision itself.
- Pay the fee, currently AUD 2000, and allow 4 to 12 weeks for a decision.
- After arrival, complete registration: a residence permit, an address registration, or both, usually inside the first few weeks.
Rules change without much notice. Confirm the current requirement with the Australia mission in your country before you book travel or pay anything.
13
Admission process
The sequence below is the one that works for Australia. Dates move, the order does not.
- Shortlist and check entry equivalence. Ask each institution how it maps your qualification onto its own entry level before you pay an application fee.
- Language evidence. English is official here, so a medium-of-instruction certificate usually does the job. Where a test is asked for, 6.5 IELTS is the band most institutions publish.
- Apply. Applications go to the institution directly unless it tells you otherwise; send certified translations of transcripts with the first submission rather than waiting to be asked.
- Offer and acceptance. An offer arrives with a fee schedule and a deadline. This is the point to ask about scholarships, waivers and housing, while the institution still wants your answer.
- Funds and visa. Assemble proof of funds as soon as the offer is in hand, and allow 4 to 12 weeks for the visa itself.
- Arrival and registration. Most destinations require you to register your address or residence permit within weeks of landing. Treat it as part of enrolment, not paperwork you can leave.
14 Questions
Straight answers about Australia.
The questions students ask before they commit. If yours is not here, the assessment is the fastest way to a specific answer.
English is an official language of Australia, and it is the language of instruction across most of the catalogue. If your earlier study was in English, a medium-of-instruction certificate usually replaces a test.
Tuition runs 20,000 to 50,000 AUD a year, and living costs run 2,000 to 2,800 AUD a month. Rent is the variable that moves the total most, so compare cities as well as universities.
The intakes listed for Australia are February and July. Applications usually open several months ahead, so the intake you are aiming at decides when your documents need to be ready.
Yes, for study of any length beyond a short course. It is applied for before you travel and granted against a confirmed offer, and 4 to 12 weeks is the normal wait.
580,287, on the most recent count published by UNESCO (2024). It is a measure of how used the system is to international students — support services, English-taught provision, visa processing — rather than anything about your own chances.
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