Australian Visa Requirements
The Australian Government operates an Overseas Student Program (OSP) that allows people who are not Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents to study in Australia.
- Any person who is not an Australian resident may apply to study in Australia under the OSP.
- A person who wants to study under the program must obtain a student visa before they can commence a course of study in Australia.
- You can be granted a student visa only if you wish to undertake a registered course or part of a registered course on a full-time basis.
- A registered course is an education or training course offered by an Australian education provider who is registered with the Australian Government to offer courses to overseas students.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations can provide details of registered courses.
The Australian education system is divided broadly into four levels of schooling:
- Primary;
- Secondary;
- Vocational Education; and
- Training and Higher Education.
There are also other options available to students from other countries wishing to study in Australia, such as English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) and non-award courses.
Types of Visa's
| Student visa subclass | Courses/qualifications |
|
Subclass 570 Independent ELICOS |
English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) undertaken as a stand-alone course, not leading to an Australian award |
| Subclass 571 Schools |
Primary school Secondary school including junior and senior secondary Approved secondary exchange programs |
|
Subclass 572 Vocational Education and Training (VET) |
Certificate I, II, III, and IV Diploma, Advanced diploma Former RATE system qualifications: Certificate, Advanced certificate and Associate diploma |
|
Subclass 573 Higher Education |
Bachelor degree Associate degree Graduate certificate Graduate diploma |
|
Subclass 574 Masters and Doctorate |
Master degree including master coursework and master research Doctoral degree |
|
Subclass 575 Other |
Enabling course: non-award foundation studies Other full-time courses or components of courses not leading to an Australian award |
|
Subclass 576 AusAID and Defence |
Full-time courses of all types undertaken by AusAID or Defence students sponsored by the Australian Government |
If you would like more information about the Australian Immigration System in relation to students, you can visit their government info page.