Studying in Melbourne Australia

Australia provides a unique kind of education and a learning style that encourages you to be innovative, creative and think independently. Australia attracts the third largest number of international students in the English-speaking world after the USA and UK. In some countries Australia is the students’ first choice study destination.

Australia offers an education experience that makes a real difference. Graduates from Australia are very successful in finding jobs and hold prominent positions worldwide.

Additionally, they are readily accepted for postgraduate study at leading international universities.

Australia is a dynamic, vibrant country and its people are energetic, friendly and confident. Multicultural Australia is a safe, friendly, sophisticated and harmonious society in which students can learn and travel in an English speaking country.

Australia also offers excellent value for money and a standard of living which is among the highest in the world. Living expenses and tuition costs in Australia are considerably less expensive than the UK and USA.

Australia is a sophisticated, friendly and affordable country which enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world. The average international student in Australia spends about $335 per week on:

Accommodation, food, clothing, entertainment, transport, international and domestic travel, telephone, incidental costs.

You may spend more or less, depending on the course you choose to study, where you choose to live and your lifestyle.

Typical living costs for a single student

The living costs below are based on 2 people sharing an unfurnished two bedroom apartment, flat or house. The amounts are in Australian dollars (A$). Remember to add your program fees and airfares to get a realistic total. Establishment costs for first year of study:
Bond (refundable security deposit) $400
General (furniture, connection fees, etc.) $1000
Overseas Student Health Cover $312

Recurrent costs

Rent per person (weekly $100; annually $5,200)
Food and drink (weekly $50; annually $2,600)
Travel (up to 10km from city) (weekly $22; annually $1,144)
Telephone (weekly $10; annually $520)
Gas, electricity, water (weekly $15; annually $780)
Books, stationery, photocopying (annually $500)
Personal expenses (clothes, entertainment) (weekly $40; annually $2,080)

Accomodation

Once you have received confirmation that you will be studying in Australia and the location of your campus(s), you should arrange accommodation before you arrive. Finding accommodation should meet your financial budget and individual needs. Student accommodation is usually highly sought after and requires thorough planning.

Things to consider when looking for accommodation:

– The cost can vary depending on your state, city and type of accommodation

  • You should confirm the total costs of accommodation. These include rent per week/month, bond payment and utility fees. These should be included in your accommodation agreement
  • Accessibility of public transport and your accommodation. Make sure that you can get to your campus with public transport to your campus. If you are going to be living in Melbourne you can plan your public transport trip.

To find accommodation please visit these websites below:

Food

Markets and supermarkets sell a variety of fresh meat, fruit and vegetables as well as rice, breads, spices and other ingredients. Halal and kosher foods are available.

Melbourne’s restaurants and cafes offer a wide variety of foods from around the world, including Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Ethiopian, Brazilian, Malaysian, Greek, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Lebanese, French and Indonesian.

Shopping

Central Melbourne and its suburbs have many large shopping centres, department stores, discount stores, markets and supermarkets which can be reached easily by public transport.

Transport

Melbourne has an extensive public transport of buses, trains and trams. AIPS has easy access to major bus, rail and tram routes. As Melbourne is a well-planned city it is easy to travel in by car. Cars travel on the left side of the road. Drivers can use their home country licences for three months from the date of entry to Australia. An international licence can be used providing the licence from the country of origin is also valid.

Public Transport

The Victrip website provides information on the public transport system in Melbourne, including costs and timetables: http://www.victrip.com.au. To find out more about living and studying in Australia, the Study in Australia website includes useful information on applications, visa requirements, accommodation options, cost of study, background information about Australia, and lots more.