A DETAILED GUIDE TO PURSUING YOUR STUDIES IN AUSTRALIA

 

With Australia booming as a hot destination for higher education not only with Indian students but also with students from around the globe questions like what are the prospects of Studying in Australia, which are the universities that one can apply, what is the cost of staying and studying in Australia and many more needs to be answered. The below text briefly gives an account of all these queries 

To start with let us looks into the top 10 Australian universities that have made their way to the top 200 QS World University Rankings:

Universities	Rank
The University of Melbourne	42
The University of Sydney	46
The University of New South Wales	49
The University of Queensland	51
Monash University	65
University of Auckland	81
The University of Western Australia	102
The University of Adelaide	125
University of Otago	169
University of Technology Sydney	193

The above are the some of the universities which have gained their positions among the top 200 QS World University Rankings. In order to get into these universities one needs to follow the below procedures: 

Students aiming to study in Australia need to cater to the following four important factors which will be considered to check if you are a genuine student:

1. English Language Proficiency: It is mandatory for students aiming to study in Australia to take the eligibility test such as IELTS, TOEFL, Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic and the scores needed in order to get an admission into their desired university or college will totally depend on the university or college chosen by them and also on the course chosen by them.

2. Sufficient finances: It is absolutely necessary for students aiming to study in Australia to show that they are financially capable. The same can be shown vide showing evidence of funds to cover to travel to Australia, Enough funds to cover 12 months living and course fees, Proof of meeting the annual income requirement, a letter of support from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Department of Defense.

3. Health requirements: It is mandatory for students aiming to study in Australia to purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) which will cost an average AUS $437 for 12 months for a single student. 

4. Character check: As per character requirements specified by DIBP, students aiming to study in Australia need to undergo a criminal record check and also get a Police Clearance Certificate. The students may also be asked to complete a character statutory declaration form. 

When one satisfies all of the above factors will one be able to gain admission into a university or college.

 

In addition to this one needs to keep the following documents ready in order to gain an Australian student visa: 

 • Completed Australian student visa application form (157A) 

• Paid visa application fee

• Copy of passport bio-data page 

• Certificate of enrollment or letter of offer 

• Evidence of sufficient funds 

• Evidence of health insurance cover 

• English proficiency test results

• Criminal record check results 

• Four recent passport-sized photographs 

Scholarship to study in Australia:

In addition to scholarships provided by respective universities and schools, there are also major scholarship programs provided by Australian government for international students. They are as follows: 

• Australia Awards: These scholarships are offered by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT), the Department of Education and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) which is available for students of selected countries like Asia-Pacific region, Africa and the Middle East for Bachelor’s, Master’s degree as well as for PhD. 

• International Postgraduate Research Scholarships: This scholarship is open to international students of all countries except New Zealand for a period of two years for research Master’s degree or three years for PhD which covers both tuition fees and health cover costs. 

• Australia APEC Women in Research Fellowship: This scholarship aims particularly at providing financial support for high-achieving female researchers from developing APEC economies. Every year, up to 10 fellowships are awarded to facilitate a research project ranging between 1 and 4 months. 

Cost of studying in Australia: When it comes to studying costs in Australia, according to official government site for international students in Australia, the course costs are:

• For Bachelor’s degree it is Au$15,000 (US$11,750) to AU$33,000 (US$25,800) 

• For Master’s degree it is AU$20,000 (US$15,650) to AU$37,000 (US$28,900) 

• For Doctoral degree it is AU$14,000 (US$10,950) to AU$37,000 (US$28,900) 

Here there are some institutions which also charge students service and amenities fees. 

Living cost: Last but not the least come one’s living cost. Here apart from the fund which needs to be shown mandatory in your account to be eligible to study in Australia, the HSBC also made an estimate of AU$18,012 (US$14,100) per year. If one takes into account accommodation cost, food, gas electricity and the basic amenities, the total cost of living for a single week can be rounded off to a minimum of around AU$300 (US$230) per week. 

Given all of the above information, a student becomes all set to apply for study in Australia. Last but not the least and the next important step for a student aiming to study in Australia is achieving his student visa. 

Students’ visa requirements: 

As per Australia’s latest simplified student visa framework (SSVF) of July 2016, all visa applications irrespective of whether it is by international students or education agents; it will be processed online by creating an Account. Also, students will get only one visa to study in Australia which will be the Student Visa (subclass 500), irrespective of the field of study.