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It’s not hard to understand why so many international students want to move to Australia. The country has a world-class education system, excellent climate, and high quality of life. But studying in Australia can be expensive – and you need to be financially prepared before you take the leap.
In this blog, we’ll help you get started. We’ll explore the student loan options available for international students in Australia, as well as other ways to fund your studies.
Before you begin to research student loans, it’s important to understand how much it costs to live and study in Australia. You can use the Course Search Tool to find out detailed tuition fee for your dream course and the Cost of Living Calculator to estimate the living cost based on the city you want to move to.
Australia’s student loan system is known as the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP). Unfortunately, HELP can only be accessed by Australian citizens or individuals who hold a humanitarian visa. However, there are still lots of other student loans available for international students in Australia.
Universities across Australia provide loans for local and international students. Most institutions offer both short-term and long-term loans; these can help students cover emergencies, as well as pay for bigger expenses.
Here are a few examples of what some universities offer:
The University of Melbourne will loan eligible students up to$5,000 AUD ($3,883 USD) if they have an Australian co-signer. They’ll loan students up to $3,000 AUD ($2,330 USD) if their co-signer lives overseas or isn’t an Australian citizen/ permanent resident.
The University of Sydney offers loans up to $2,000 ($1,550 USD), which can be paid back up to two years after graduation.
Students in need of financial assistance at Monash University can take out loans between $750-$3,000 AUD ($544 – $2,330 USD), to be paid back within 6-12 months.
Universities across Australia offer similar loans. It’s best to check directly with your institution to see exactly what loans are available to students – and to make sure you’re eligible.
You might be eligible to take out federal student loans in your home country to study in Australia. For example, students from the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Norway, or Denmark who attend the University of Sydney can access government funding from home.
A private loan is one of the simplest forms of international student loans in Australia: you borrow money from a bank or similar lender and repay the loan (with interest) over an agreed-upon period of time. These loans can be secured – which means they’re tied to collateral – or unsecured. But with unsecured loans, interest rates are usually higher.
Student loans aren’t the only way to pay for your education in Australia. Here are a few other options to consider:
Many international students are attracted to Australia because they know they’ll be able to work. Unlike other studies abroad destinations, you can work up to 48 hours every two weeks while studying and unlimited hours during study breaks on an Australian student visa. Even more, the minimum wage in Australia is $24.10 per hour or $915.90 per week – meaning many international students are able to pay for some of the costs associated with living in Australia while they study.
There are a number of scholarship opportunities for international students in Australia – both funded by the government, and universities. Some, like Australia Awards scholarships, support students with full tuition, living costs, and airfare. Check out the Australian Government’s search tool to find a scholarship that’s right for you.
Read more: scholarships for international students in Australia
To apply for a student visa in Australia, you need to prove you have sufficient funds. For this reason, many students decide to take out a private bank loan in their home country before coming to study in Australia.
As you can see, there are lots of ways to fund your studies in Australia as an international student. But everyone’s financial situation is different, so we recommend doing lots of research to find a loan you feel confident about – and one that will work for you both during, and after university.
Still, deciding where in the world you want to study? Check out our article types of loans for international students, which explores more loan options in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.
We are not immigration agents. For all up-to-date information about visa rules and regulations, see the official guidelines on the Australia Department of Home Affairs website.
Last updated 20 December 2024.
During 2018 students, migrants, and professionals that sat PTE Academic received their scores in even less time than ever before. In fact, during 2018, 85.7% of PTE Academic test takers received their results within just 2 days.
Learning a language is much easier when you’re enjoying yourself – which is why watching movies can be a great way to immerse yourself in the language.
What better way is there to pick up new phrases and slang terms that you would not learn in the classroom, all with popcorn in hand?
It can be hard to know which movie to choose so here are our top ten to help you get started. These films are chosen for their language clarity and cultural insights, offering a fun way to improve English skills for beginners and advanced learners alike.
If you are not feeling confident, watch with subtitles and you will soon pick things up.
A fantastic choice for beginners, this film teaches English while taking you through the heart of American history. This movie is one of the best English movies for learners as Forrest speaks so slowly throughout the entire movie. It is also an iconic 90’s movie which will make you laugh and cry in equal measure.
Perfect for all ages, these films are a treasure trove of rich vocabulary set in a magical world. Many things make the Harry Potter series great for your linguistics skills! Aside from the rich vocabulary, due to the sheer number of films in the series you will get to build up your understanding of different characters, their personalities, accents and ways of communicating.
What a great idea for learning English – watching a film where the main character – a historic British figure – is learning to speak! King George VI struggles to communicate due to a speech impediment, which means pronunciation is a very big focus in this movie.
For lovers of classic literature, this film offers a window into historical British English. The movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice will also expose you to societal norms, colloquial expressions, formal language and phrases as this movie is set in the early 19th century England.
This is one of the best English movies to watch, especially for beginners. It is full of day-to-day phrases and a slower pace, so it is easier to follow along. It is also a Christmas classic for all the family.
Great for picking up informal turns of phrases, slang and expressions used by British people. It also showcases a variety of British (and Irish) accents, so you can expose yourself to a breadth of British ways of speaking.
A charming film for mastering conversational American English.
Immerse in everyday conversational English set in contemporary America.
Animated and perfect for beginners, this film is set in Medieval Scotland so you will get to experience the Scottish accent and culture as well as learning some everyday phrases and idioms.
This movie should be on your list if you are focusing on advanced language learning. The language and the plot are both really complex. You will be exposed to advanced vocabulary and narratives which are really thought-provoking.
These films offer an immersive, engaging, and often emotionally resonant context for language learning. Whether you're just starting or looking to refine your skills, each movie is a step forward in your language-learning adventure.
Ready to prepare for your English language test? Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
Smart Prep brings all our free and paid preparation into one convenient place, so you can mix and match to fit your unique needs. Perfect if you have booked your test and are not sure where to start with your preparation journey.
Here are four top tips to help you get started:
All you need to do is set up your free myPTE account, and you will have access to all our free and official prep resources — so everything you need to be ready ace your test is at your fingertips.
As close as you can get to the test without taking the real thing. Our unique Scored Practice Tests are just like a mock test and are marked in the same way as your PTE test. So you can see how you score and then focus on the areas you need to improve.
With five to choose from, we recommend you use them throughout your prep journey to check your progress.
Practice makes perfect and our PTE Academic Question Bank is packed full of questions with model answers, plus samples for speaking and writing. So you have plenty of opportunity to practice before the real thing.
Finally, don’t forget to download our free PTE Academic Handbook and Score Guide.
The handbook covers everything you need to know about taking PTE Academic - from how to prepare and test day policies, to how to retake your test if necessary.
And, the PTE Score Guide helps you understand things like what you’re graded on, how automated scores work, and how our scores compare with those of other English language tests.
PTE is more than an English language test. It’s your ticket to studying abroad.
