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Australia is known for its beautiful landscapes, quality of life, and excellent standard of education. If you’re interested in studying in Australia, you’ll first need to understand the Australian student visa application process. This will set the stage for the exciting new chapter in your education.
However, there can be a lot to remember when it comes to Australian student visa requirements. That’s why we’ve put together this informative guide, which breaks down everything you need to know. Let’s get started!
In order to apply for an Australian student visa – called the Subclass 500 Student visa – you must be enrolled in a course of study at an Australian institution. You’ll need to complete an application form, gather important documents, and prove to the Australian Government that you meet a list of requirements, including:
The Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement
Financial requirements
English proficiency requirements
Health and characteristic requirements
You can also use the Document Checklist Tool to which documents need to be attached to the application.
To fulfill the GTE requirement, you must prove you’re coming to Australia temporarily to receive a quality education. To do this, you’ll need to provide a personal statement in English, or translated it into English. This should include information and evidence about your:
Previous studies (with academic transcripts)
Current employment
Ties to your home country
Economic situation
Immigration history
Overall, Australia wants to ensure you’re entering the country to further your education, and not for other motives.
This is an important part of the Australian student visa application process. Many applicants need to prove they have sufficient funds to pay for life in Australia, including living costs and tuition fees. There are a few options to do this; for example, you can show you’ve received government loans or scholarships. Evidence of 12-months fund or evidence that you meet the annual income requirement will also work. The requirements range from $29,710 AUD (about $19,000 USD) to $102,500 AUD (about $65,500 USD). For detailed and most updated information, please refer to Department of Home Affairs.
Learn more about financial requirements.
Australia is a very diverse country. Approximately 73% of the population in Australia speaks English at home. To meet Australian student visa requirements, applicants who aren’t from an English-speaking country need to show English language proficiency. And, our computer-based and unbiased English language test at PTE Academic is accepted by the Australian government for every visa category.
To be eligible for a student visa in Australia, you must achieve:
At least 50 for each of the 4 components for PTE Academic
At least 36 for each of the 4 test components of PTE Academic if you undertake an English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) course before your main course
View a full breakdown of Australian study visa PTE requirements.
Most visa applicants need to do a medical exam to prove that they are healthy. In addition to the medical exam, the majority of applicants must buy Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) from an approved Australian provider.
To get an Australian student visa, you also need to be of good character. You shouldn’t have a substantial criminal record or be a member of a criminal group, for example. To prove this, you might have to supply a police certificate.
A Subclass 500 Student visa starts at $1,600 AUD ($1,020 USD) unless you are exempt. There are also added charges for each family member who applies for the visa. For more information on visa costs, check out the Australian government’s visa pricing estimator.
For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.
To find out if you’re eligible for an Australian student visa, be sure to review all the requirements on the government website. You can see all the documents you’ll need for your application using the government’s documents checklist tool.
Learn more about working in Australia on a post-study work visa.
Last updated 20 December 2024.
PTE Academic is completed on a computer, including the speaking part of the test.
So make sure you are prepared by familiarizing yourself with the equipment you will use during your test. Reading these test tips and you will be fully prepared.
There are many ways you can improve your chances of gaining points in Part 2: Reading during PTE Academic.
To improve your reading skills, practice increasing your reading speed and comprehension at the same time. In turn, you will improve your writing, grammar and vocabulary skills.
To do well in this part of the test, you need to be able to read quickly, using effective reading strategies, as there is a limited time to answer all questions.
Speed reading tasks will help improve your reading speed. Practice speed reading every day and:
Aim to be reading at least 220 words per minute
Reading short articles of around 300 words
Read often for short periods of time
You can also try this as a challenge with your friends to help keep motivated. Once you are happy with your comprehension and speed, focus on chunks (groups of words) rather than individual words.
When your reading skills reach a level you are happy with, you will feel more confident to answer the questions.
In the Multiple-Choice, Single Answer question type, some test takers make the mistake of scan reading and matching the words in the text to the words in the answer. Generally, the words in the text are not used in the correct answer, therefore it is important to learn how to use synonyms and paraphrasing as it will be used in the test.
Learn how to improve your grammar in our Reading: Core Skills part 1 article.
In this question type, you will need more time than in the Multiple-Choice, Choose Single Answer question type, as you need to intensively read the stem (the part before the options) as well as the options, then scan read the text on the screen until you find the part of the text that contains information that was in the stem.
Read the options very carefully and match the meaning of the option with the text. Do not match the words – this is something test takers may make errors with.
You should also make sure not to choose all the options since you lose one point for each incorrect choice. However, you cannot score below zero.
To do well in the Re-order Paragraphs questions, you will need to have a strong understanding of cohesive devices and how they work. You will also need to understand how articles work, as well as the logical and chronological order of information.
In this question type, skim-read the text to get the ideas of the topic of the text. From there, you should read all the sentences carefully.
For both Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question types, you will need to understand a range of vocabulary, collocations, grammar, pronouns, and cohesive devices, as well as being able to identify when plural nouns are needed.
You will also need to be able to skim read to get an idea of the meaning of the text, then read intensively before and after each blank. If unsure, you should guess based on the context.
Make sure you do not leave any spaces blank. You do not need to correctly fill in all spaces to get points.
To go back and review the question types within the reading test, we suggest learning more about the reading questions.
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.
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Do you have your heart set on studying in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? The UK is a wonderful place to live and learn, but you’ll most likely need to get a UK study visa before you start packing your bags.
This comprehensive guide covers who needs a UK student visa, the requirements for getting one, how to apply, how much it costs, and how long it takes.
If you’re an international student hoping to study in the UK, you’ll most likely need a student visa. The only exceptions are nationals of Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), who don’t need a visa to enter the UK. *
* Please note: The outcome of Brexit may alter this after 2020. Check the UK government’s website for up-to-date information about this.
There are several UK study visa requirements you’ll need to meet to successfully apply. These include:
You’ve been offered a place in a full-time course from an eligible university (i.e. the school must be a licensed Student route visa*Tier 4 sponsors)
You can understand English (both written and spoken)
You have enough funds to support yourself and any dependants, while also paying for the course.
These requirements apply to students from all over the world. This means the UK student visa requirements for Indian students and American students are exactly the same for Chinese students and Australian students (and so on).
