Top 7 Factors to consider while selecting a university in Australia as an International Student

Choosing a University and a right degree can be daunting? It was the same when I chose to study in Australia. There are many universities that offer good quality education. How to select a university from them? What are the important factors you should consider while selecting the course and the university? How do you weigh up the different elements involved? I have already provided some information on selecting the course in my earlier post.

Based on my experience and knowledge; I tried to bring some general tips and guidance as an experienced International student of Australia on selecting a University. Of course, each student is unique with their own priorities, but, below are some tips from my perspective:

Degree Selection: This is very important and starting point for your career.   You should select the course depending on your interest and capability.  One in five students changes their course within the first year of study.

This causes delays in completing your course and the study costs may go up eventually. As per Homeaffairs website, 167,873 student visas were granted in the six month period of Jul’17 to Dec’17. Out of them, 35% to 40% of visas were granted for Higher Education Sector. The students from China are in the top list followed by India in the student visa grants.

This shows that you have already done 15 years of education in your country and have found your career path. Try to choose the course relevant to your bachelor’s degree. This helps you to learn and understand the subjects easily. Otherwise try to choose broader courses like MBA which applies to all courses. The bottom line is choose the course with a goal to complete it before your visa expires.

University Selection: Australia has a number of Universities located in various states. Check here for Universities. Selecting a particular university depends on some factors like IELTS score, location and the fees:

Every course has its own entry level requirements. Some Universities prefer band 6 in IELTS and some may prefer band 6.5 for the same course. It all depends on how much you have scored in IELTS. This step helps you to shortlist the university that goes with your band.

One tip is: if you have scored band above 6.5 or 7.0; prefer universities that has requirements over 6.5, this helps you to study at your competence. Do not get disappointed if you score less than band 6; Universities offer conditional enrolment but you have to undertake ELICOS course before you enrol in the university.

Location: It again depends on the preference. The universities located in the cities have students from across the world. However, the standard of living may be higher in the cities and at the same time, more opportunities for students to work while studying.

The universities in regional areas expose you to true Australian culture as majority of the students are Australians. If you have a plan to settle in Australia, study in regional areas add 5 points to your Permanent Resident application. Hence, study in regional areas and cities has their own pros and cons.

Course Fee: This acts as one of the important factor in deciding the university as well. The fee ranges from AUD 12,000 to AUD 24,000 per year (2018) for the same course in different universities. From my point of view, all universities provide good education in Australia. The fee variance may be due to the university ranking.

I have opted Federation University because that was the only university offering minimum fee for my course in Australia at the time. My preference was reasonable fee I could afford and wanted to study Master of Professional Accounting in Sydney. Federation University has provided me all these factors in one bucket. So my choice was this University. I never had any issues with University or the teaching staff.

Moreover, I secured job as soon as I finished my Accounting degree and had no issues with tutors or lecturers. So choose carefully based on your preference.

Career Opportunities: What am I going to be after I finish my studies? This makes us worry sometimes. Universities provide some basic information about the jobs available for your course. You can also do some research on internet and job portals in your country and worldwide about the opportunities available. However, some courses do not have specific jobs or no jobs were created especially in automation and data systems. So you never know, you may have a job newly created for your course. So, do not worry if your course do not have career opportunities column in the course outline like here.

Not many get an opportunity to study overseas, so make best use of it and gain valuable experience as an International student.

Scholarship opportunities: If you have good grades in your degree and availed scholarships in your home country. Do not hesitate; look for scholarship opportunities in Australia as well. There are many scholarships available for International Students. Click here for more information.

Extra-curricular activities: Check the university website about their extra-curricular activities like sports and cultural activities if you are interested in. Seek the help of social media like Facebook groups to enquire about these activities. Every university have their own Facebook group these days.

 

You can also check directly with the University staff about on the job training opportunities, internships and campus placements etc.

Studying overseas involves some research and plan; once you cross this stage, you will have more information and can stay focused after you move to Australia.

Hope the information is useful. Let me know if I missed out any factor that is important to consider in selecting a university and share your experience of selecting the university.

All the best! Stay motivated!