Studying in Australia
Questions & Answers

All courses available to international studies are approved by the government through the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) registration system. Generally most international colleges and universities will have a CRICOS number in the footer of their website. It can be very confusing to understand whether courses are only available to domestic students or also to international students so looking for the CRICOS number will help you know you are probably on a website that is suitable for your studies.

There are 100s of courses across all levels of education available for student visa holders:

1. English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) - courses for English learners

2. Vocational Education and Training (VET) - Certificate & Diploma courses delivered by private colleges & TAFE

3. Higher Education - Bachelor, Masters & PhD courses delivered by private colleges and universities

ELICOS (English) Courses: averaging $250-$450 a week

VET (Vocational) Courses: $5,000-$15,000 a year depending on the subject

Higher Education: $16,000-$54,000 a year depending on the course and reputation of the institution

Student visa holders must study face-to-face. However, there is a percentage of the course which is allowed to be delivered online. This will depend on the course your study. Please ask you education agent about this.

English courses such as General English or IELTS Preparation require attendance 4 days a week.

For certificate and diploma courses, you are generally in class 2 days a week

Higher education courses will depend on the the course load for your trimester/semester, but it is usually 2-3 days a week of class. Up to 30% of your higher education study can be done online.

Institutions cannot force a student to pay their tuition in full.

Generally, for university programs you are paying by the trimester/semester (4 or 6 months).

In vocational colleges, the payment plan is usually every 3 months, though (rarely) some colleges allow you to pay by the month.

The deposit is typically your first 3, 4, or 6 months of tuition depending on the level of education.

You can also expect to pay an enrolment fee ranging from $150-$400, depending on the institution.

IMPORTANT: If your education/migration agent is insisting that you pay 1 year or more of tuition in advance, please cross-check this requirement with the education provider, or get a second opinion.