If you did not know Australia right now is the third most popular destination for international students among English speaking countries. World class education, top rated technology, quality, diversity, and excellence are just some of the terms that describe the state of Australian universities. Suppose you are an international student, you probably know just how expensive these schools might be, especially because tuition for international students are costlier than for local students. Thankfully, there are tons of options available to help you reduce your costs and if possible study on free tuition at an Australian university.
Scholarships available in Australia are for eligible students all over the world. Annually, Universities offer thousands of scholarships. These scholarships are usually awarded by the departments of each course or degree. Also, they offer different discounts as well. To provide context, there are institutions that offer tuition discount of say 25% if you had a family member that studied there.
The interesting thing is Universities are not the only groups that offer scholarships. The Australian government designs scholarship programs for both undergraduate and graduate students who are interested studying in Australia. These scholarship programs will cover tuition, plane tickets, living expenses, and more.
Besides scholarships, student visas in Australia are more flexible than in other countries. Students and their family members are allowed to work. This way they can make some extra money to cover university and personal costs.
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Let’s discuss further what your options as an international student are:
How to Study on Free Tuition in Australia
There are several ways of conveniently studying for free in Australia. One viable option is applying for and obtaining scholarships-an option we will discuss in subsequent paragraphs. The other option is working a part-time job or even remotely. Australia offers that option for students!
What are the requirements to apply for an Australian scholarship?
The standard requirements for applying for a scholarship vary depending on the university or the program you are interested in.
The vast majority of scholarships are based on academic merit, so you will be expected to provide detailed info about your prior education, your scores, and extracurricular activities you participated while in high school or in college, if you are a graduate student.
Please note that English language requirements are a must. Understandably, some universities and government scholarships will exempt you from this requirement if you can prove that previous education was done in English. That said, English language proficiency tests are also accepted. However, suppose you apply for a government based scholarship, you will have to meet the scores required by both the university and the government, even if they are different.
Most times these scholarships are only for international students, and in a few cases they are only for nationals of specific countries,if that is case you’ll have to prove your citizenship. Your passport should be enough for this, however in some cases, you’ll be required to submit a birth certificate in addition.
Another thing is that you’ll have to apply for a student visa (and take care of its expenses) by yourself, and indicate if any family member will travel with you to Australia. This is important because scholarships awarded only cover the expenses of the students and are not meant to cover expenses of your companions.
The option discussed above is the most preferred and guaranteed way of studying in Australia on free tuition.
How to Apply for an Australian university scholarship
The application process differs and depends on the scholarship you choose. In some universities for instance, your enrollment application and your scholarship application are basically the same. In a few other cases, you are not required to do anything because the scholarship will only be awarded to you if you satisfy and meets the requirements, like achieving a certain GPA.
Generally, please start your research early enough by checking and carefully reading the guidelines on the website of each scholarship program. By so doing, you’ll know which documents should be submitted, which ones must be certified, and if the application process is entirely online. Do well to devote enough time to your essay as it is important to put together an awesome write up to increase your chances of landing the scholarship!
For some government scholarships, please do well choose which university you want to study in and the course you are interested in. Most times they won’t ask for an acceptance letter because they already have partnerships with universities, but you do need to start studying the semester for which the scholarship is offered, so everything is clearly understood.
The moment the first selection is completed, interviews may be carried out to ensure proper selection of credible students, so you have to prepare for that.
Don’t shy away from asking questions if you aren’t sure about something, and do your best by applying to as many scholarships as you can to increase your chances of getting one!
List of Top Rated Australian University Scholarships
Australia Awards Scholarships
The Australia Awards Scholarships are awarded by the Australian government. These scholarships are administered by the distinguished Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. These funding awards are given to international students who come from specific developing countries in the Pacific, Asia, Africa and The Middle East. This scholarship is a fantastic way for you to study on free tuition in Australia!
The truth is these awards are one of the best ones as they are fully funded, taking care of full tuition, monthly allowance, living costs, health insurance, an introductory academic program, and flights. Please check their website to see if you are eligible by carefully going through the country list and reading the handbook (it’s more than 100 pages, so be diligent!).
The Destination Australia Scholarship
Destination Australia is another scholarship program awarded by the Australian government. It awards up to $15,000 per year for tuition cost. Please note that it doesn’t have a country limitation, but is practically for studying in universities located in regional Australia, according to the Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Structure. So do well to visit their website to learn more details about the application process.
Australian National University (ANU) Scholarships
Positioning itself as the best university in Australia, the Australian National University (ANU) has a lot of scholarship options. Scholarships are offered depending on the course and the type of degree you are pursuing.
ANU’s website has a search engine where you have to select the course, the study level, and the selection criteria. Once you’ve done it, it displays a list of all the scholarships available, their value, the number offered, their selection bases, and a link to get more information. Only in the undergraduate category, there are more than 50 different options.
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Alternative Pathway to Scholarships: Securing a part-time job while studying
As discussed above, besides securing a scholarship, you can also find a part-time job while studying in Australia. Reason been that if you have a student visa in Australia, you are able to work up to 20 hours per week. Please note that, you can only start working when your course is already on the way. The good news is that during holidays, there’s no hour limitation. These rules are also applicable to family members.
In case of postgraduate research studies, the limitations are different. They are able to work up to 20 hours per week while doing any preliminary course, but if they already started their masters or doctoral degree studies, there will not be any hour limitation.
I am confident this article on how to study on free tuition Australia is useful.
