Education in Australia

Are you planning to pursue your education in Australia and looking to find out more about how the education system is like in Australia? We have outlined information about education in Australia for you, read on to find out!

Education system in Australia

Australia has number of educational institutions and courses to choose from, there are more than thousand institutions, and above 20,000 courses offered! The education system in Australia is three –tiered, having primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education. University is the highest level of education in Australia. There are 43 universities, 40 government-funded public universities, two international universities and one private speciality university in Australia. Bachelor degree as well as postgraduate degrees, including postgraduate diploma, certificate, master and doctoral programs are available. These are the higher education, and teaching at universities take place in large group lectures and small group tutorials.

There are range of vocational courses available as well. Most of these focus on practical skills and industry training. There are many vocational training courses in the areas of business, information technology, , art and media, child care, tourism and hospitality, construction, rural industries, transport and logistics, to name a few. An Australian vocational education and training (VET) qualification can provide a pathway to entering the workforce or university. There are many vocational training courses in areas such as information technology, business services, art and media, tourism and hospitality, child care, transport and logistics, construction, mining, manufacturing and rural industries.

There are also pathway programs to higher education available for international students, including foundation studies and English language preparatory classes to ensure assistance and support to students when needed.

The Australian education system is distinguished by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The AQF is a national policy established in 1995 that covers qualifications from the tertiary education sector (higher education, vocational education and training) in addition to the school leaving certificate, called the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education.

Education Cost

The tuition fees at most of Australia’s tertiary institutions ranges between AUD$20,000 and AUD$30,000 a year.

Scholarships

If you feel like the tuition fees at Australian institutions are beyond what you can afford, you should still not deter from applying. Because there are a range of scholarships available for international students. These are given on merit, or even financial needs. The details on scholarships available can be found in websites of each universities. Some scholarships even offer stipend and living cost!

Academic year

Secondary and high school in Australia usually start late January or early February each year, and vocational and university schools start at the end of February or early march. High schools often have tree to four terms, while universities and vocational colleges have two semesters. Students need to take their exam at the end of each semester. Summer courses are also available.