International students often come to Australia to get their bachelor's degree, Master's degree, or Doctoral degree. However, it can be difficult to meet the english or academic requirements. Therefore, it is important to understand the Australian education system to find the degree and pathway most suited to you.
Learn about the different degree levels and pathways available in Australia
There are four ways for an international student to get a Bachelor's degree. Based on academic performance and English ability you can choose the most suitable.
You can get a bachelor's degree after three years of studying at a university. However, with high performance (usually top 5%) students can elect to take an extra year to get a bachelor's degree with honours. This also gives you direct access to a PhD.
Your major affects your future significantly. However, it is hard to choose your major; there are too many factors to be considered. Your personal interests, expected salary, your future career growth. These are some considerations you should make:
While many people just look to university rankings, you should also consider industry connections and opportunities offered by the university. You can also check what percentage of students is employed straight out of university for each major in each university.
Usually, an international student will need to reach an overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component of the test in IELTS or equivalent, some majors such as Law have higher requirements.
If you do meet the language requirement, you can take an ELICOS course. However, you need to get at least 4.5 in IELTS exam or equivalent to be able to apply for a student visa.
Check Visa Eligibility →Check requirements for your preferred degree and major on the university website. Most courses will guarantee you entry if you meet the minimum required grade, however for some competitive courses such as medicine or IT this may not be the case.
University ranking is a good indicator to choose your university, and there are four main university ranking websites:
Australian education qualifications are regulated under the policy of The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The AQF levels show how students can progress through the Australian education system.
Learn more about AQF →