Know Before Selecting Australian Education

1. Types of Universities

The Universities in Australia are largely grouped in 3 broad categories. There are 37 public universities, 3 private universities and 2 foreign universities. The public universities of Australia are categorized in the following groups based on their merits, majors and various other important factors:

Group of Eight (Go8): The Go8 are the oldest and the most prestigious colleges in Australia. These colleges are renowned for the high quality of education and research policies. Go8 includes Universities of Queensland, New South Wales, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide & Western Australia, Australian National University and Monash University.

Australian Technology Network (ATN) Universities: ATN is a coalition 5 leading technology universities in Australia. These universities are celebrated for their education framework that incorporates flexibility and innovation to yield practical results. ATN includes Curtin University of Technology, RMIT University, University of South Australia, Queensland University of Technology,University of Technology Sydney.

Innovative Research Universities (IRU): IRU is a group of research based institutes and include Charles Darwin University, Griffith University,Flinders University, James Cook University, etc.

2. Credit System

Australia follows a grading system which is similar to USA credit system. In the Australian education system, the student has to complete the required credit points to graduate. The required credits vary from one course to another. For example, for some graduate courses a total of 48 credit points are required. Hence the student can chose 8 subjects that hold 6 credit points each.

The number of maximum subjects a student can pursue every year vary according to the university. Some universities allow the student to finish the course earlier than the actual duration of the course, while the rest of the universities limit the number of credits you can earn in a semester.

3. Fees

Australia as an education destination is comparatively affordable due to its lower cost of living and lower tuition fees. The tuition fees in Australia is generally lower than that of America and UK. However, Australian Universities do not include the cost of certain basic amenities like meal plan, gymnasium and activity fee which are generally included in the tuition fees in USA and UK. On top of it, it is compulsory for an international student to get an Oversees Student Health Cover, which can be very expensive. The following is the average fees for education in Australia. Please note that the figures are average and the fees can differ vastly depending on the course you pursue.

Bachelor’s degree – AU$15,000 (INR 6,91,345) to AU$33,000 (INR 15,20,959);

Master’s degree – AU$20,000 (INR 9,21,793) to $37,000 (INR 17,05,317);

Doctoral degree – AU$14,000 (INR 6,45,255) to $37,000 (INR 17,05,317).

4. On Campus Jobs

Australian Universities allow the students to work alongside their education to cover their expenses. The student is allowed to work on campus as well as off campus. The jobs and payment varies according to the nature of the job as well as the students’ expertise. Almost all Australian universities reserves certain on campus jobs for international students. International students are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours per week during when the session is going on. However, there is no such restriction during the vacation and the student may choose to work fulltime.

5. Accommodation

Australia offers a plethora of options to international students when it comes to accommodation. The cost of living in Australia is comparatively lower than other international study destinations and a student can even manage to get a high quality accommodation easily. Almost all the universities in Australia have on-campus housing facility where the priority is given to the first year students. The students can also rent an apartment with fellow classmates nearby the university. However, this option is best for the second year students.

Australia is a great place for international students because of its cultural diversity and laidback nature. People are generally good in nature and it’s considered safe for international students. The country offers a good living standard and a great platform to shape your dreams. So, if you want to reach your dreams and are looking for place from where you can make leap of faith towards success, who can teach how to jump better than the Kangaroos!

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