Education System Australia

The Education System in Australia

This section of the site mainly contains information for international students wishing to pursue their studies in Australia. Other sections on this site contain information on Australia’s Education Capability, industry and information for Australian Education Providers.

Australia receives a rising number of international students every year from more than 140 countries who pursue their studies in university’s, colleges, institutes and schools. There were more than 500,000 enrolments on comprehensive fee paying overseas students, on student visa’s by early 2009.This led to an increase of 20.7 per cent of enrolments compared to the past year. Nearly 70% of these students mostly pursued their studies in higher learning institutes and vocational training institutes.
 

Why choose to study in Australia?

• Quality – Australia’s education system is rated one of the best in the world
• Highly regarded – qualifications are highly recognized by most potential
• employers and institutes for students looking for employment or seeking further studies.
• Variety of Courses - A lot of institutions offer a wide range of course majors and are of quality delivery.
• Security- Students are well protected by the law and are assured of the best security amenities available.
• Costs-Competition on tuition fees from institutions insure that costs are kept as low as possible. Low cost of living also helps students return good value for their money.
• Life in Australia- with a neat and stable environment, great climate conditions and friendly people, international students should find this a life experience worth told admirably. 
• inter racial society-Australia has a multicultural society. Students should find settling in easy.
• Assistance-Australia offers many possible means of support to international students.
• Employment/traveling-Students are provided with work/travel opportunities. 

Schools

The education system in Australia consists of a one preparatory year then 12 years of primary and secondary education. Education is compulsory until the age of 16 or year 10 of grade school. Two more years of study are necessary for those wishing to pursue tertiary studies. Students in their final grade year, i.e. year 12 can study for a government certificate required for entry into Australian Universities
and vocational training institutes.

There are two types of institutions in Australia. These are government and private owned. Both are able to enroll overseas students. The educational calendar is divided into four terms and starts towards the end of January ending in December.
 

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Placed between secondary and university studies, VET education studies are taken to prepare students for employment and/or higher learning institution placemements. They consists institutes of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and also private colleges that concentrate on specific courses that offer one necessary training for employment.

TAFE institutes are government funded and recognized country wide. They offer vocational training for career courses. The period of study range from a few hours to about three (3) years of full time study.TAFE courses are cheaper compared to university courses. Students graduate with certificates, diplomas and or advanced diplomas. These awards enable them to further their studies at universities or find employment.

Private institutions concentrate on certain study fields such as aviation, photography, interior decorating, multimedia, hospitality management and tourism. They include business colleges, English learning centers and computer training firms.

All institutions are closely monitored by the government so as to uphold high learning standards. Most of these provide English language training as well as foundation courses for university entrance.

Universities

There are 37 public universities in Australia and 2 private owned. Their are also a number of smaller institutes that focus on special courses on higher educational levels. Most courses are tutored and research is conducted over a broad range of professional and educational fields. These fields maybe specialized i.e. medicine, engineering or general i.e. arts and science.

Students can earn qualifications ranging from graduate certificates to doctorates. These studies are offered on postgraduate or undergraduate levels.


Foundation Courses

Foundation course duration is usually a year and international students usually have to under take these as preparatory courses for university entrance. Additional English language training may be necessary .Upon completion; the student is eligible for entrance and can enroll in any preferred institutions offering his/her degree program of interest. Most universities and vocational institutes offer foundation study courses.
 

Study Abroad

These are usually shorter courses that enable international students to study in Australia for one or two semesters and have them credited by their local learning institutions. Approval for the students’ desired subjects of study may be obtained before commencement of studies. The student has to meet the normal requirements for each subject intended to be studied. 


English Language training

Many government and private institutes offer the English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS).
Their are over 150 registered and accredited English learning centers in Australia.

These courses are taken to prepare for different programs. These courses can be for English language training, English for academic purposes (for further studies), English for specific purposes i.e. business or computer related courses and also preparation for international exams such as Cambridge certificate or IELTS.

Periods for English studies taken on a full time basis may vary from one to about 48 weeks. Full or part time study tours are available and can be taken for periods between one and six weeks. Overseas students are permitted to study up to 17 weeks on a non student visa.

Australian Education International provides detailed information in other languages for those wishing to study in Australia.