Australia
Australia is an island continent and the worlds 6 th biggest nation (7,682,300 sq km). It is the largest country in Oceania. Neighboring nations are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. Australia’s capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. Australia has 19 recorded World Heritage properties. Australia is famous for its milestone infrastructures including the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Countries’ first inhabitants, the Aboriginal people, are believed to have relocated from some obscure place in Asia between 50,000 to 60,000 years back. It is an autonomous western democracy with population of 22 million. Although the Kangaroo land’s lifestyle reflected its mainly western civilization in the history, it is also a multicultural society which now has over 6 million people from almost 200 nations.
Australia offers a diverse range of study options for overseas learners, with over 1,200 institutions and more than 22,000 courses to choose from. Despite what you are studying or how long for, Australian education system promotes high quality learning and teaching environment. As an international student you are obliged to study with an institution and in a course that is registered with the CRICOS. CRICOS registration guarantees that the course & the institution which you are attending meet the high standards expected by international students. Regardless of what course you want to pursue, how long or where, you can be assured that in Australia you will have a quality & rewarding study experience.
Australian qualifications are recognized by employers and leading educational institutions in every country around the globe. Australia offers a truly world-class education and regularly features in global rankings. Currently, the country makes the top three most popular study destinations in international education amounting to over a half million overseas students only behind the UK and the US. This diverse community of students at Australian universities is like meeting the whole world in a single place. Apart from excellent quality, the Australian universities have a rich scheme of programs and courses they offer. Student will always find a program which will suit to his or her interest and which will improve their knowledge. Also, Australia enumerates 1100 institutions across the entire country, driven by the commitment to the research and innovation. Facilities like laboratories and modern classrooms are in every higher education provider in Australia to give the needed support to students’ education. Besides
being academically spectacular, the kangaroo land has a very safe, multicultural, friendly and harmonious society. Australian value the wealth of cultural diversity and social sophistication that international learners bring to the campuses and communities. Along with assured quality education, Australia has comparatively much affordable tuition fees and accommodation than that of US, UK and many other European nations.
When one thinks of study abroad, undoubtedly studying in Australia becomes the first priority of every student who has done enough research and planning. It is mandatory that you get enrolled at an Australian school before you apply for a student visa to Australia. Once you receive the offer letter from the school,you have to accept the offer in writing and pay the tuition deposit after which the school will send the CoE which is Confirmation of Enrolment. The CoE document is for you to start your visa application.Since nowadays Australian visas are applied online before starting your visa application, you need to create an account at https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/… where you have to submit your name, phone number and e-mail address after which you get to create a password after accepting the conditions of the school . It is necessary that before applying for a student visa you see to it very carefully, has all the required documents like on CoE, OSHC health insurance, Passport which should preferably be valid for the whole stay in Australia. Sometimes additional documents may be required depending on where you are applying from and where you intends to study like additional id documents such as birth certificate, proof that you can finance your studies such as bank statement, proof that you have enough knowledge to pass your intended course like your grade reports and IELTS test result, proof of previous employment such as employment contract, pay checks etc., and many more.You need to apply for a student visa subclass 500 whereby the application can be made as early as 124 days before the course starts. On the first you need to fill in your nationality and CoE codes. Also you should choose your education sector like ELICOS for language courses or higher education for courses that leads to a university degree after which you will be asked to submit personal details, family details, answer questions about your previous education and work experience and submit details about your health and criminal record.
After completion of application you need to pay the application fee with a credit card online. Once done,you will get a receipt with a TRN-number (Transaction Reference Number) which should be saved in order to check the status of your visa application. Depending on where you will study and live you might also need to do a health checkup and/or attend a visa interview. Information for the same will be received once you complete your application. It is advisable not to do the health checkup before you have completed your application as you will need the TRN-number as well as instructions on what you need to check. Also you should have your checkup done only by Australian immigrations approved doctors.As nobody can exactly predict the time frame for your visa decision as it depends entirely on the place from you are applying as well as how busy the Australian immigration authorities are. As such you usually get your visa decision within one or a couple of weeks once your application is complete.However you can check the status of your application by logging into the immigration website and also if needed by entering your TNR-number. Usually once the visa decision is made it is e-mailed by the Australian authorities and since the visa is an electronic one, for the sake of a physical proof, you can print the grant letter which you will receive online after approval of your visa.
Like many countries, Australia’s education system is broadly divided into three Categories:
Primary School / Secondary School:
This is for students who wish to study at primary or high school and approved secondary school
exchange programs. The students can be enrolled at Private or Public schools starting from year
1 to year 12. One parent or guardian can accompany the student or a guardian will be assigned to
them by the school.
Tertiary Education:
Tertiary education in Australia is different to many other countries in that it is divided into two
sectors; Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Higher Education.
Vocational Education and Training:
All countries have a higher education sector which people usually associate with universities, but
Australia is one of just a few countries that have a vocational education sector where a trainee is
assessed by his or her acquisition of competencies, and focuses on the development of skills
relevant to a trade or field of skilled specialization. In fact, Australia’s VET sector is
internationally recognized as providing world's best practice in vocational training, and
qualifications from Australian VET institutions are recognized worldwide.
Higher Education:
Australia’s higher education sector is world class and all Australia’s universities have highly
active and comprehensive international programs. Universities in Australia have been welcoming
international students for more than a century, and today most campuses boast an ethnic mix in
the student body of 50 or more nationalities. Cultural sensitivity, tolerance of religious practice
and freedom of expression are proudly promoted and encouraged by all Australian universities.
Although every Australian university is autonomous and sets its own standards and course
offerings, each belongs to a unified national system which ensures that all Australian university
degrees are nominally of equal quality. Taken collectively, the variety of programs available at
Australian universities is as comprehensive as anywhere in the world. The structure of Australian
higher education follows a common 3+2+3 international model. That is to say, the first
(undergraduate) degree – usually Bachelor – is normally of 3 years duration. This might be
followed by a Masters degree, usually 2 years, and finally candidates may aspire to a doctoral
qualification, (e.g. PhD), usually 3 years in duration. There are variations, with some
professional undergraduate degrees requiring 4 or more years and some Masters degrees, (by
course work), available in a single year of study. "Honours" years are available as extensions to
some Bachelor degrees, and a student with “First Class Honours”, i.e. very good grades, may
fast-track to a doctoral degree.
Due to the huge size of the country, Australia has several different climate zones. The northern section of Australia has a more tropical influenced climate, hot and humid in the summer, and quite warm and dry in the winter, while the southern parts are cooler with mild summers and cool, sometimes rainy winters.The seasons are the opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere, when it’s summer in the north, its winter south of the equator. December and January are the hottest months in Australia, July and August the coldest.