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Australia
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Australia

Eight universities in the world's top 100, beaches at the end of the tram line, and post-study work visas of two to four years. Fees and rent are high, but so are student wages: A$25 an hour is normal.

Tuition / yr
$20k – $40k
Living / mo
~$1,600
Work rights
48 h/fortnight
After study
2–4-year Temporary Graduate visa
Intakes
February · July
Language
English

Why Australia

Sunshine, top-100 universities, generous work rights.

  • 01 Eight universities in the top 100
  • 02 High graduate salaries
  • 03 Lifestyle

The honest take

What we tell our own families about Australia.

Why students love it

Temporary Graduate visa: 2–4 years of work after study
Highest student wages of any destination
Top-100 universities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth
Weather, beaches, outdoor life
Large Arab, Indian and Chinese communities

What to plan for

Tuition A$30,000–50,000 a year
Sydney rent among the world's highest
Far from home: 14+ hours to Cairo or Dubai
Genuine Student requirement makes visa applications stricter
Some regional visas require living outside the big cities

Getting around

Leave the car at home.

Trains, trams and buses with tap-on cards (Opal, Myki). International students get concession fares in some states but not New South Wales.

Train, tram, bus

Opal (Sydney), Myki (Melbourne), Go Card (Brisbane). Weekly caps apply.

A$50 weekly cap (Sydney)

Cycling

Bike lanes are improving; helmets are mandatory.

A$150+ once

Domestic flights

Cities are 1–4 hours apart by plane; Jetstar is the student airline.

A$80–200 per flight

Food & groceries

What a week of eating really costs.

Groceries cost more than Europe, but wages match. Aldi and Coles specials, Asian grocers and campus food courts keep a student fed for about A$100 a week.

Flat white

Australia invented the coffee culture; A$5 and worth it.

Meat pie

Bakery lunch, sauce on top.

Barbecue

Free public grills in every park; the student social event.

Vietnamese pho and banh mi

Melbourne and Sydney's cheapest great lunch.

Build your cart

Supermarket prices in Sydney, AUD. Quantities per week.

  • Milk (1 L)A$2
    0
    —
  • Bread (loaf)A$4
    0
    —
  • Eggs (12)A$6
    0
    —
  • Rice (1 kg)A$3
    0
    —
  • Chicken breast (1 kg)A$13
    0
    —
  • Pasta (500 g)A$2
    0
    —
  • Apples (1 kg)A$5
    0
    —
  • Bananas (1 kg)A$4
    0
    —
  • Tomatoes (1 kg)A$6
    0
    —
  • Cheese (500 g)A$10
    0
    —
  • Coffee (250 g)A$9
    0
    —
  • Yogurt (500 g)A$3
    0
    —

Your weekly cart

A$0 ≈ $0

Per month

A$0

Eating out

  • Banh miA$9
  • Flat whiteA$5
  • Campus food court mealA$14
  • Restaurant dinnerA$32

Where to live

Dorm, shared flat or studio: pick one and watch the budget.

Purpose-built student accommodation (Scape, UniLodge, Iglu) is everywhere and sorted before you fly; shared houses are cheaper once you know the city. Look at suburbs on the train line, not the beach.

Where students actually live

  • Newtown, Sydney

    Student, alternative, near the University of Sydney.

    A$300–420 / wk

  • Carlton, Melbourne

    Next to the University of Melbourne; Italian cafes.

    A$280–400 / wk

  • St Lucia, Brisbane

    UQ campus by the river; ferries to the city.

    A$230–330 / wk

  • Bentley, Perth

    Curtin campus, cheaper, sunny.

    A$200–300 / wk

Before you pay anyone

  • Flatmates.com.au and the university's accommodation service are the reliable channels
  • Bonds are held by a state authority; never pay a bond directly to a landlord in cash
  • Rent is quoted per week in Australia; multiply by 4.33 for a month
  • Sign up for a purpose-built room before you fly, then move to a share house in semester two

Student life as an international

Life happens outside: beach volleyball, weekend road trips, barbecues.

Universities are large and well organised, with strong international student support and career services.

O-Week clubs day
Surf lessons, Great Ocean Road, Great Barrier Reef
Big Middle Eastern and South Asian communities in Sydney and Melbourne
Part-time work at A$25+ an hour covers most living costs
Work
48 hours a fortnight during term, unlimited in scheduled breaks. Minimum wage about A$24.95 an hour.
Healthcare
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is mandatory, about A$600–700 a year for a single student.
Safety
Very safe. Sun and surf are the risks: learn the flags.

Universities

Where we place students in Australia.

Melbourne

University of Melbourne

Australia's top-ranked; medicine, law, business

A$45,000–55,000

Check my odds

Sydney

University of Sydney

Engineering, business, health; sandstone campus

A$45,000–58,000

Check my odds

Melbourne

Monash University

Pharmacy, engineering, IT; largest university

A$40,000–52,000

Check my odds

Brisbane

University of Queensland

Biotech, environmental science, business; lower cost city

A$40,000–50,000

Check my odds

Campus photos are placeholders until we add each university's own imagery.

The Australia brochure

Twelve pages we wrote for parents and students, not for universities.

  • Genuine Student requirement: writing the statement that passes
  • Temporary Graduate visa streams and regional bonuses
  • Sydney vs Melbourne vs Brisbane budgets
  • OSHC and Medicare explained
  • Purpose-built student accommodation compared

PDF, prepared with your name on it. Figures are indicative and refreshed each intake.

Free with a Get-ED account

One minute to create. It also saves your shortlist and lets a counsellor pick up where you left off.

Monthly budget

A$1,502 ≈ $992

Add tuition

Free download

The Australia visa checklist.

Every document, in the order the embassy asks for them, with the mistakes that cause refusals.

  • Passport & photos
  • Offer letter (CAS / admission)
  • Proof of funds / blocked account
  • Health insurance
  • English test result
  • + 3 more with timelines and templates

PDF + an editable tracker. Nothing else unless you ask.

Start here

Ready when you are.

A free, no-pressure call with a counsellor who has done this hundreds of times.

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