When you’re planning to enroll in any course in Australia, you’ll need three documents, which include:
Application form
Letter of Offer
Confirmation of Enrollment.
In this article, we’re going to be discussing the difference between Application Form, Offer Letter and Confirmation of Enrolment (COE), the purpose of each one of them, and the process involved in using these three documents.
So let’s kick it off.
What’s An Application Form?
This is the first document you’re required to complete when you’re planning to apply for any course in Australia.
You can find this document on the website of the institute or university that you’re planning to study at.
You can either complete these documents by yourself or get help in completing them through an education agent.
What’s included in the Application Form?
This application form varies according to the different schools or universities‘ policies and procedures, but most of them will ask you similar kinds of questions in the application form.
Some of the things you need to complete in the application form include:
1. Personal Information
Personal information includes your name, date of birth, passport details and some other personal details.
2. Contact Details
They may ask you for your address in your home country, your email address, and your phone number.
3. Academic Background
This includes any of your previous qualifications and what you have studied so far.
4. Your Course Selection
The course you would like to study at that particular institute or university.
5. Visa Details (if applicable)
If you are renewing your visa and applying for a course from Australia, then they may ask you about your visa details.
6. Student’s Statement
This is your acceptance of the terms and conditions of the university or institute that you’re applying to.
They may require more information in the application form. And they might also have a different kind of format, depending on the school, university, or institute that you’re applying to.
Here is a sample of the application form from one of the Australian institution:
What Documents Do You Need To Submit Alongside The Application Form?
You will be required to submit the following documents along with the application form to get your offer letter:
Passport
Academic evidence like your certificates, marksheet etc.
Proof of English Level Proficiency (IELTS, PTE or other English test results)
Depending on the institute or university you’re applying to, they may ask you for additional documents as well.
Once you’ve completed this application form and sent it to the institute or university you’re applying to, they’ll review and access your application, and that’s where the second document comes in, the letter of offer.
What’s a Offer Letter or Letter of Offer?
If the university or institute you’re applying to is satisfied with your application, they’ll issue you a document called a “Letter of Offer”, which means you’ve met the entry requirements of that institution and that specific course and have been formally offered a place to study.
A letter of offer can be an Unconditional, Conditional, or Package offer.
1. Unconditional Letter
This means that there are no conditions that you need to meet to apply for this course.
2. Conditional Letter
This means you’ve been granted a place in that specific institution and for the specific course, but you’ll need to meet the conditions as stated in your offer letter. So you need to make sure you meet them before signing your letter of offer.
3. Package Offer Letter
If you’ve applied for more than one program or qualification in the institute, or you’re required to complete an English Language program before starting your actual course, that’s when you get a package offer letter. So, it’s a package or combo of two or more courses.
What’s Included In The Letter of Offer?
Name of the course that you’ve been accepted into.
Duration of the course
Start and end dates of the course
Fees you need to pay for the course
Total deposit fee
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) Fee
Once you’ve received the Letter of Offer, make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully as it usually has information regarding suspension, academic misconduct, and many other policies and processes that you should be mindful of.
If you’re happy with the terms and conditions, then you’ll sign the Letter of Offer and send it back to the university or institute you’re applying to.
You also need to pay your deposit fee as well. You can pay by credit card or telegraphic transfer.
And once the institute has received the payment, they’ll issue you a Confirmation of Enrollment (COE) or eCOE, which stands for Electronic Confirmation of Enrollment.
What is Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) or eCOE?
A Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) is an official document issued by your school or university.
COE is proof that you have a place secured in a registered Australian education institution.
You’ll need this document when applying for your student visa, your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), and some other administrative purposes.
Each COE will have a unique code (highlighted in red below)
You will receive confirmation of enrolment via email or through your education agent.
What’s Included In COE?
The following information is usually included in a COE:
Name of the course you’re studying
Duration of the course
Start and end dates of the course
Total amount paid as a deposit
The total fee amount left to be paid
It’s important that you’ve a valid COE for the entire time you’re going to stay with your student visa in Australia.
How Long Does it Take to Get a COE (Confirmation of Enrolment)?
It depends on the institute, but usually it takes a few days to a couple of weeks to get a COE after your acceptance of the payment agreement and offer letter.
And that’s how the whole process works with these documents.
If you would like to know how you can apply to study in Australia in a step-by-step guide, then check out our YouTube video. https://youtu.be/uQld8cqc7mQ
Many students get confused about the assignment system in Australia.
Some common confusions include: what types of assignments are there and how to do assignments correctly and can I use information from the internet?
So in this article, we are going to talk about everything you need to know about assignments in Australia including some tips that you should know as an international student.
What is an assignment?
Assignments can be considered homework or a task allocated to you by your educational institute to be completed in a defined timeframe.
Many universities and vocational courses use assignments in Australia to assess your performance in your studies.
Some students get surprised that there are no exams or very few exams in their studies in Australia.
But it’s a common thing. So don’t be surprised!
Even if you have exams in certain subjects, you’ll still likely to have assignments for the subject.
So as an example, your one subject’s overall weighted scores (or we call it unit in Australia) might look like this:
Subject name: Business Studies
Total weighted score: 100%
Attendance: 10%
Class Quiz: 10%
Assignments: 60%
Exam: 20%
Different types of assignments in Australia
There could be different types of assignments you might be required to during your studies here in Australia
Some popular type of assignments are:
Writing an essay or a report
In both cases you’ve to do a thorough research, and then you may have to write a certain word limit report or essay depending upon the requirements of the subject.
Case Study
You might be required to go through a case study and answer some questions based on that case study.
Quiz
There could be quizzes as well where you may have to do a multiple choice or a true and false quiz at times.
Group work
You might be required to do research projects in a group setting.
Presentation
There could be some visual or verbal presentations involved in your studies.
Demonstrations
In certain subjects, you might’ve some practical components and you’ll need to provide some demonstrations of the tasks.
Portfolio
In some courses, you might be required to submit a portfolio of your work like your designs or actual work completed.
There could be other types of assignments also but the above-mentioned ones are some of the most common ones you’ll come across in Australia.
Where to find your assignments?
When you enroll in any course at University or vocational education program, you are likely to be given access to an online platform.
Many of the universities in Australia use ‘Moodle’ as their preferred platform, but there could be another type of platform that you might’ve access to.
Inside that platform, you’ll be given information about all the subjects that you’re studying, study resources, timetables and information about your assessments as well.
Usually, at the start of a new term, you will also get a term outline which will explain your weekly schedule of the term.
In this outline, they will give information on what topic will be covered during each week, what tasks to be completed and when they need to be submitted.
If they don’t give you access to any online portal, then they’ll give you a physical printout of your assignments that you will be required to complete.
Most of the study terms in Australia could go anywhere from 10 weeks to 12 weeks. And during the year, you can have multiple terms.
We have covered some of the most common intakes in Australia including the best and the worst in Australia here. Check it out.
How to do assignments in Australia?
Now the most important question is how to do assignments. What’s the method or system that you need to follow?
There are four main steps you can take in order to do your assignments in Australia:
1. Understand the instructions
Before you even attempt any question, understand the instructions of the assignments and what you are required to do in that assessment task.
It’s very important to read those instructions carefully because sometimes you get some key ideas from those instructions themselves.
If you don’t understand something from those instructions, then you’re welcome to go out and seek help from your trainer or your tutor.
2. Start planning
Once you’ve understood the assignment, the next thing is to start planning.
The planning phase is where you start looking for some information and start doing research on how you’re going to write your assessment task.
3. Writing
Then comes the actual writing part where you will start typing your answers. This is the part where you will be writing the answer to those questions in your assignment.
It is a good idea to create an outline of the assignment before you start typing it in more details.
4. Check your assessments
Make sure to proofread your assignments before submitting them. If possible, check it for plagiarism scores as well.
A lot of times, students submit wrong documentation, and they end up paying the fines or the penalties.
So make sure to check each and every element of your assignment before your final submission.
Deadlines for assignments in Australia
Every assignment will have a specific timeframe you need to complete it by.
If you don’t submit within those time frames, you will be getting a penalty.
It could be a penalty for your scores or that you may need to resubmit again, or you may have to pay a late submission fee depending upon the Institute.
Each institute in Australia may have a different policy in regard to late submissions, so check your institute’s late submission policy.
Penalties can be quite high (in terms of dollars) so it is important that you pay attention to these deadlines.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism basically means copying others’ work.
Most universities or institutes in Australia use a software called Turnitin
This plagiarism software can easily pick up the sources of the information where the students are getting the information from.
It can provide a very detailed report to the tutors who are going to check your assignments.
A high plagiarism score could mean that you could be failing the subject. It can ultimately mean that you could be repeating the subject again. Obviously it costs a lot of money, time and don’t even start talking about the stress it causes.
How to Avoid Plagiarism in your assignments in Australia?
Ideally, if you’re going to use any internet resource or any source out there available and relevant to your assignment, then you can shouldn’t copy from it directly.
Instead, you can read it, get some ideas and then you use your own words to explain it.
Again, you are allowed to do research from any resource available out there but you should explain them in your own words.
No copying and pasting here!
Referencing
If you do use any resource to conduct your research, it is important that you provide a reference to that specific resource.
It is expected by most Australian educational institutes that you provide a reference list for your assignments in Australia.
Now there are multiple types of referencing systems available in the world. And depending on the university, they could be using a different system.
The most popular referencing system in Australia is Harvard referencing.
Please, refer to your University or institute’s referencing policy on what type of referencing system is expected by them.
There could be additional requirements like having footnotes as part of your referencing sas well.
We highly recommend you attend sessions offered by your University or Institute on how to do referencing for your assignments.
They usually provide these sessions as a part of the orientation session. So don’t skip it.
Want to learn more about orientation in Australia? Check our detailed article here.
Support systems available for assignments in Australia
Let’s discuss some support systems available in the Australian education system for students who don’t understand assignments in Australia.
Your first point of contact for assignment support
Thankfully, most of the lecturers and tutors are quite friendly in Australia.
So you can easily walk up to them and ask for help in regards to your assignments. We suggest you arrange a meeting with them through email or email them about your questions.
Do it a few days ahead of time so that they can meet up, or they can explain to you about your assignments.
Academic Study Support
Most of the universities will have some academic support systems available for students to help them with your assignments.
Help from peers
If you have a friend or other peers doing the same course, then you can ask them any questions about the assignment as well.
But we highly encourage you not to ask or share your assignments with any of your friends or peers.
It can lead to a lot of trouble for your academic career if you decide to share it with your friends and then submit the same assignment.
So, never share your assignment with anyone.
Apply for special consideration
If you’re struggling to do your assignments in Australia, then there is usually a provision for special consideration by your University or Institute.
Please, communicate your difficulties with the assignments to your teacher or the support systems available at your university as soon as possible so that they can assist you with it.
In special consideration, they can give you some additional time to complete assignments, or provide you with some additional academic support as well.
Don’t use online academic cheating services
If you’re thinking of getting your assignment done from these assignment cheating services, think again because cheating and getting the assignment done from someone else is illegal in Australia.
It can have devastating consequences for your career if you get caught.
If you can’t do your assignment, seek help from your University sources or from your trainers or tutors, but do not engage in any cheating services for your studies.
Additional tips about assignments in Australia
Here are a few additional tips from our team in regard to assignments in Australia:
Attend your classes regularly because in those classes your lecturers, tutors or your trainers will give you some instructions on how to complete your assignments.
Not only attend but pay attention to your classes as well, the lecture notes and any additional material provided by your trainers or tutors.
As some assignments require lots of work, we suggest you try to complete assignments on a weekly basis rather than doing it all at the end.
If at any time you feel that you can’t do your assignment, please seek help quickly from your institute’s academic department.
Please don’t wait till the last day of your assignment to ask for help, ask for it nice and early.
So that’s all in regard to the assignments in Australia. We wish you all the best for your studies and assignments in Australia.
If you are considering to study abroad in 2023, then Australia should be on top of you list. And no, we are not just saying it in a cliché, but there are 9 important reasons behind it.
So, in this article, we are talking about the Top 9 reasons to study in Australia in 2023 and what it means for the international students.
Let’s discuss them!
1. Unlimited work hours
International students are currently allowed to work unlimited work hours in Australia.
There are no restrictions on the amount of hours you can do while studying until 30th June 2023.
After 30th June 2023, the work restrictions for international students will come back into force. Which students could be once again limited to 40 hours per fortnight work limit.
But while the option is available, why not take full advantage of those work hours. It’s very rare that this sort of opportunity comes. No other country has unrestricted work hours for international students.
We compared Australia with top destinations for international students: Canada, UK, USA for work hours; check the difference among all of them here.
2. Increase in post-study work visa timeframes
The Australian government will increase the post-study work visa for international students studying in the areas of verified skill shortages.
Currently, international students doing a Bachelor’s degree get a Post Study work visa for 2 years, Masters students 3 years and PhD students 4 years respectively.
But as per the update, it will increase from two years to four years for select Bachelor’s degrees, from three years to five years for select Master’s degrees and from four years to six years for select PhDs.
We are expecting more details on this increase in timeframes soon.
3. Increase in skilled migration cap
The Australian Government has increased the skilled migration cap for the financial year 2022-23.
Previously it was 160,000 places, but it has been increased to 195,000 for this financial year.
It means more visa holders who are eligible under the skilled migration program can apply for permanent residence.
4. Low unemployment rate
Australia has recorded one of the lowest unemployment rates even during the dark days of the pandemic.
Currently, the unemployment rate is at 3.5% (August 2022), one of the lowest in recent history.
Low unemployment in the country is significant for international students as it means they can easily find part-time jobs in Australia while studying.
5. High wages
Australia has the highest minimum wages in the world (Graph below: Minimum Wages (Source: Statista)
From the 1st July 2022, it is $21.38 per hour.
And the recent study also shows that Australians are the richest people in the world. (See the graph below)
So, what it means for international students is that they can earn decent wages even doing part-time jobs in Australia.
Another huge plus with the low unemployment rate.
6. New government focus on longer term migration
New Labour government (which was elected in May 2022 during the federal election) is focused on long term migration rather than short term migration. More details here.
As mentioned by the Education minister, only 16% of international students stay back in Australia after their studies compared to 27% in Canada.
That means the Australian Government is keen to change that and make more students stay longer in the country.
And provide pathways for workers on temporary visas to stay longer, or transition to permanent visas and international students are likely to benefit from it.
7. Fully Funded Scholarships
Many Australian institutions and the government are offering fully-funded scholarships to international students.
Some of the popular ones include
Australia Awards,
Deakin Vice Chancellor’s International Scholarship
Monash International Leadership Scholarship
UTS Vice-Chancellor’s International Undergraduate Scholarship
Vice-Chancellor’s Social Champion Scholarship
You can check more fully-funded scholarships on our website here.
8. Government incentives
Some states governments like Western Australia are also giving incentives to international students to entice international students to study with them.
These incentives will provide
$1,500 for up to 2,500 eligible students to offset accommodation expenses while studying full-time in WA in Semester 2, 2022; and
ISEB – $1,500 for up to 2,000 eligible international students to offset fees when undertaking an approved ELICOS course in Western Australia.
And if you are willing to study in a regional Western Australia with Tafe Western Australian, then you can get $5000 for studying, working and living there. More details here.
9. Most Liveable and Best Student Cities
Many Australian cities usually ranks well in the Global Liveability Index.
As per the Global Liveability Index 2022, many Australian cities make it to the Top 50 liveable cities in the world.
Here is a quick list of the most liveable cities in Australia with their world ranks in 2022:
Melbourne – 10th
Brisbane – 27th
Adelaide – 30th
Perth – 32nd
Also, as per the QS Best Student Cities for 2023, many Australian cities ranks in the Top 100. Here Australian cities with their ranks:
Melbourne – 5th
Sydney – 9th
Brisbane – 24th
Adelaide – 31st
Perth – 34th
Canberra – 35th
Gold Coast – 93rd
So, these are our Top 9 reasons to study in Australia 2023. What’s yours? Leave a comment or reach us via DM here.
Let’s be honest, studying abroad can be an expensive affair.
But thankfully, there are fully funded scholarships in Australia that can help you cover all of your tuition fee expenses. And some of them even go beyond that and cover your living expenses, health insurance, travel airfares as well.
So, if this sounds interesting, then read on as we are covering Top fully funded scholarships in Australia for international students
1. Australia Awards
Australia Awards is the Australian government’s prestigious fully-funded scholarship that is offered to exceptional students from developing nations to study in Australia.
Australia Awards scholarship covers not only the tuition fee, but it also covers airfares, living costs, Overseas Students Health Cover and any allied expenses related to the studies.
In order to be eligible for this scholarship, students must have an exceptional academic background, should be a citizen of the participating country and return to their home country after completing the course. To learn about the other eligibility criteria and application process, check the link below.
🏫 Organisation offering – Australian Government
📖 Study Levels – All (Certificates to PhD level)
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition Fee – 100%
Airfares
Living costs
OSHC
Allied Expenses
✅ Eligible Countries: Participating countries only
Research Training Program (RTP) is another Australian government fully-funded scholarship that students can apply to study in Australia.
As the name suggests, this scholarship is for research-based training programs and is limited to research-oriented Masters and Doctorate programs only.
RTP scholarship provides a tuition fee offset for the course, and it matches the fee charged by the institution. In addition to that, OSHC expenses are covered and provide living stipends as well for the successful applicants.
🏫 Organisation offering – Australian Government
📖 Study Levels – Postgraduate (research based only) – 2 years Masters and 3 years PhD
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition fee offset
Overseas Students Health Cover
Living Stipends
Allowances related to the ancillary cost of research degrees.
3. Deakin Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship
Deakin University’s Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship covers up to 100% of the tuition fee for international students.
International students who are planning to apply for this scholarship should meet the eligibility criteria of at least 85% average score in the previous studies along with meeting other requirements to study at Deakin University.
Those students who successfully get this scholarship will be required to participate in the Vice-Chancellor’s Professional Excellence Program.
🏫 Organisation offering – Deakin University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition Fee – Up to 100%
Priority on-campus accommodation (at student’s own expense)
Another Deakin Universities’s scholarship that is fully funded for the international students who are coming from India only.
This scholarship covers 100% of the tuition fee for Indian students who are based in Indian and planning to study at Deakin University.
Applicants for this scholarship must be Indian citizens with a valid Indian Passport residing in India at the time of application and also meet the academic eligibility criteria (i.e. 85% overall in Year 12 scores of CBSE / ICSE / State Board; OR 80% in Undergraduate Degree).
Again, the successful applicants will be required to participate in the Vice-Chancellor’s Professional Excellence Program.
🏫 Organisation offering – Deakin University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition Fee – 100%
Priority on-campus accommodation (at student’s own expense)
5. International Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship – 100%
This 100% scholarship from Deakin University provides students from certain South Asian countries with the opportunity to study the undergraduate or postgraduate course in university.
Students are expected to meet the eligibility criteria, including academic requirements like 85% scores in Year 12 or 80% scores in the undergraduate degree and other criteria for studying at Deakin University.
Successful students will be required to participate in the Vice-Chancellor’s Professional Excellence Program.
🏫 Organisation offering – Deakin University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
💰 What’s covered:
Tuition Fee – 100%
Priority on-campus accommodation (at student’s own expense)
Also known as Sir John Monash Fee Scholarship, this scholarship from Monash University covers 100% of the tuition fee for the successful students.
International students from any country are eligible to apply, and the applicants will be selected on the basis of high academic achievements, an application statement and their potential of becoming Monash ambassador.
🏫 Organisation offering – Monash University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
8. Monash International Tuition Scholarship (MITS)
Another fully funded scholarship offered by the Monash University that covers the tuition fee and single Overseas Student Health Cover policy.
This scholarship is only available for students undertaking research-based Masters and Doctorate degrees at the university.
International students from anywhere around the globe are encouraged to apply for this scholarship, with students expected to meet Monash university’s selection criteria and minimum English language requirements.
🏫 Organisation offering – Monash University
📖 Study Levels – Research Doctorate & Research Masters degrees
9. UTS Vice-Chancellor’s International Undergraduate Scholarship
University of Technology, Sydney is offering 100% scholarship to the students enrolling their undergraduate programs in Sydney.
This scholarship is covering 100% of the tuition fees for the duration of the course for prospective undergraduate students.
Like most other fully funded scholarships in Australia, this scholarship is also offered to international students with excellent academic backgrounds.
🏫 Organisation offering – University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
The University of Melbourne has a fully funded scholarship for the high-achieving students undertaking graduate research at the university.
The scholarship is only available for students of Master by Research and Research oriented Doctorate degrees.
This scholarship does not only remit 100% tuition fee but covers general living cost, living expenses and single Overseas Students Health Cover as well.
🏫 Organisation offering – The University of Melbourne
11. JCU Vice Chancellor’s International Student Scholarship
James Cook University’s Vice Chancellor’s International Student Scholarship provides international students up to $40,000 per year for the minimum course duration.
In effect, this could possibly cover all the tuition fees as the fees for some courses like MBA are less than $40,000 per year.
Application for this scholarship is through invitation only to students who are applying to study for eligible courses at the university with at least an 85% score in previous studies.
🏫 Organisation offering – James Cook University
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate & Postgraduate coursework
University of Canberra is providing an opportunity to international students who don’t have the resources to study overseas and demonstrate a commitment to social engagement, sustainability and reducing inequalities with a fully funded scholarships.
Applications are encouraged from the students:
live in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa and South Asia.
don’t otherwise have the resources to finance international study.
do not have access to other significant scholarships e.g. Australia Awards
This scholarship provides up to $50,000 per year to the successful applicants which covers your tuition fee for the course and other expenses.
The applications are assessed by the university based on research potential and academic merit.
🏫 Organisation offering – University of Canberra
📖 Study Levels – Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses
Australian National University Research Scholarships are available for high achieving local and international students who are conducting research in line with university’s strategic direction. As this scholarship is merit based, students must have achieved H1 or H2 equivalent in their previous studies.
🏫 Organisation offering – Australian National University
📖 Study Levels – Research Master’s degree or Doctoral degree
If you are not eligible to get the above 100% scholarships, don’t lose heart as there are plenty of other scholarships available for international students. Some of the other popular ones are:
If you are planning to study in Australia, one thing that you have to consider is whether you want to apply for your educational institute by yourself or you want to apply through an education agent.
If you are self-assured and know exactly what you’re doing – for example, you know which university or institute you want to apply to, which course you want to study and how to apply for your student visa online – then you can complete the entire process on your own.
But if you’re not sure about any of this, then it’s a good idea to consult an education agent who can guide you through the whole process.
As per the latest data available from the Department of Education, in 2018, around 75% of the student enrollments were made by education agents.
So you can understand how important education agents are in Australia’s international education system.
In this article we are discussing everything you need to know about how to choose an education agent to study in Australia. We are covering details about:
What services do they provide, and what can’t they do?
The benefits of using their services.
The drawbacks of using them
How to choose the right education agent.
🔍 Services provided by Education Agents
Education Agents can provide multiple services to international students.
They can give you lots of information regarding study options, the universities you can choose from and other relevant information regarding studies.
Apart from studies, they also provide good information regarding life in Australia.
For example, helping you find accommodation, finding a job, what kind of insurance can you apply for, etc.
They can also help you apply for the institution of your choice and if you decide to apply for a scholarship, they can also help you with that.
Unless they are a registered migration agent, they can’t really apply for your student visa. However, they can assist you in applying for your student visa with a help of registered migration agent. Many education agents usually have tie-ups with various migration agencies for these purposes.
In Australia, if an education agent is not a registered migration agent, they cannot apply for your visa. However, the same cannot be said when your education agent is overseas.
✅ Benefits of using education agents
Let’s look at some benefits of using educational agents.
1.Expert Advice
Many educational agents usually have excellent knowledge of the Australian education system. They most likely have worked with hundreds of other students before you.
Sometimes you may not know about the local areas or various study options that you can actually choose from. Educational agents can help you with that.
2. Choosing The Right Course
A good educational consultant would usually understand the students’ personal interests and their needs before suggesting any course to them.
That’s another benefit of using them, as they can provide you with the right information about the right courses and the right institutions that meet your requirements and career.
3.Special Offers and Deals
Consider these educational agents as wholesalers. From time to time, universities, and educational institutes in Australia can give some special offers to these educational consultants.
They can actually get exclusive offers and can pass this on to their customers in the form of saving some money for them. So you could benefit from that as well.
4. Completing Application Forms
Completing the application form can be really challenging for some students and there could be confusion about what should I write in this column or what should I write in that box.
Educational consultants can actually help you to complete these application forms easily without much hassle.
5. Visa Application
A lot of educational consultants actually work with lots of registered migration agents to lodge your visa applications. And it’s usually a part of the services they offer to international students.
As a result, many people will benefit from this and avoid the hassle of applying for the visa on their own.
6. Support Services
Lots of educational consultants do not only have offices overseas, they also have offices in Australia as well.
This can be extremely beneficial to many international students, especially when they’re looking for support regarding jobs, accommodation, and many other things.
❌ Drawbacks of using education agents
1. Biased Opinions
As we know, most education agents make their money through the commissions they get from the educational institutes.
How much money they get will depend on the contract that they have with the educational institute.
To give you an idea, they could earn anywhere from 5% to 30% of the school fees you paid to your Australian educational provider.
Some education agents will actually direct you only to the place where they’re getting the highest commission, rather than the one that benefits your career.
2. Limited Choices
It is a requirement that every institution in Australia must have a contract in place with every educational agent.
Some education agents don’t have a contract with many institutions, so what happens is that they won’t recommend you to certain colleges or institutions because they don’t have those options available for you.
In that regard, when it comes to choosing the right course, sometimes you may have very limited options to choose from.
3. Incorrect Applications
There could be a chance that some education agent don’t know what they’re doing and they could be incorrectly completing your applications.
It means that you could be getting a refusal from the Department of Home Affairs for your student visa, which will obviously have a devastating effect on your career.
Now the question is: how can you choose the right education agent?
🤔 How to choose an education agent to study in Australia?
These are some of the factors we suggest you consider when choosing an education agent to study in Australia:
1.Do Your Research Properly
As we mentioned earlier, every institution must have an agreement in place with an education agent.
Regardless of the country they are in, they must have an agreement in place with the institute that you’re planning to study at.
We suggest you check the website of the education provider to ensure they have an agreement in place with the institution.
For example, if you are planning to study at the University of Melbourne, go to their website and look for the list of agents on their website. By law, they should have a list of all the approved education consultants, whether they are in Australia or overseas.
It’s also a good idea to do research through your friends and other people who have gone through the process before you.
You can ask your family or your friends – or you can ask someone who’s actually studying in Australia – if they have any recommendations for good education agents that they can refer you to.
2. Consult Multiple Agents
Rather than relying on information from one education agent, it is advisable to actually meet a few education agents before choosing the right one for you.
You can easily look up education agents around your area through any search engine or even through social media platforms.
3. Ask Questions
As education agents are there to help and serve you for study in Australia, it is very important that you ask them questions.
You should also ask them about the fees that they’re going to charge you, so you can compare the fees charged by other agents in your area as well.
You can also ask them questions like: “Are they a registered migration agent or are they just educational consultants” or “What’s their success rate?” etc.
It’s important that you never pay the school fees to your agent or in their name. You should pay them to your education provider. Good education agents will guide you on how to arrange to pay your fees.
4. Thoroughly Read The Documents
Before signing any agreement with education agents, make sure you read all the documents and terms and conditions carefully and if you are unsure, you can always ask someone else to read through those documents for you.
Never sign a document before reading it and understanding it well.
5. Keep A Written Record
We highly suggest that you get everything in writing. If you’re getting some information, it’s always good to get it in an email or in any other written format which could help you save yourself if anything goes wrong.
6. No Guarantee of Permanent Residency (PR)
No educational consultant or educational agent can guarantee that you will be able to obtain permanent residency after completing your studies in Australia.
So this is our guide on how to choose an education agent to study in Australia.
In a nutshell, a good, reliable education agent can always save your time, effort, money, and headaches.
If you are packing your bags to come to Australia you might be thinking, what sort of documents should I bring along with me to Australia?
In this article, we are going to discuss what sort of documents you should bring when you’re coming to Australia as an international student.
Before we get started, it is ideal that you should have at least a couple of copies of all the documents mentioned in this article.
It is also a good idea to keep these documents in your carry-on bag or handbag. Alternatively, if you’re bringing a laptop bag, you can keep those documents in it as well.
Now, let’s kick off with the documents!
1.Passport
We don’t really need to explain much about why you need to bring your passport when coming to Australia for your studies. It is obviously a very important document for travelling overseas.
Important thing to keep in mind is that your passport must be valid for at least six months, which means that it cannot be expiring within the next six months. So please double-check the expiration date on your passport before traveling to Australia.
If it is expiring within the next 6 months, then you will need to renew it before coming to Australia for your studies.
2. Airline Tickets
You must have printed copies of your airline tickets, itinerary, boarding pass (if checked in online). Again, this is another obvious document, but we still need to mention it.
3. Student Visa
You must have a student visa when arriving in Australia. There are various types of visas available, but whatever type of visa you have, make sure you have a copy of it.
4. Academic Transcript
It’s a good idea to bring documents that contain any qualifications you have completed in your home country, as well as any other document that contains your marks in those qualifications e.g marksheets.
You’ll probably need it a few times while you are studying in Australia, especially if you are going to apply for further visas.
So ideally, you should bring your year 10 or year 12 certificates. If you have completed your degrees, like a bachelor’s or master’s, you need to bring all those documents as well.
5. Confirmation of Enrollment (COE or ECOE)
You should bring your E-COE or COE which is a document that is given to you by your university or institute when you apply for that course.
It is a confirmation that you have been enrolled into that specific course at that specific university or institution, so make sure you have a copy of your ECOE or COE.
Important note: You should always have a valid COE when you are studying in Australia.
5. IELTS or PTE Certificate
Some students who are going to study in Australia will be required to complete an English test. It could be IELTS, PTE, or some other English test.
Whatever test you have completed, make sure that you have a valid certificate and bring this certificate along with you.
Of course, not every student will need to complete this test, so if you don’t need to complete this test, you don’t need to bring this document.
6. Receipts of Payments
You may have paid your tuition, airfare, overseas student health insurance (OSHS), or accommodation. Make sure you get the receipts for all of these documents and bring them with you.
You might also need to exchange some currency, so if you are bringing some Australian dollars, make sure you get a receipt from your local exchange institutions (e.g banks or money exchangers).
7. Accommodation Booking Documents
Whether you are going to book a short term accommodation like hostel, hotel or Airbnb or booking a long term accommodation with university, please bring along those booking emails or itinerary or any other document received as a confirmation of booking.
You might not need these documents if you are coming to stay with your family or friends but you still need to know their address as you need to write that in your incoming passenger card when arriving in Australia.
8. Driving License
As an international student, you are considered a temporary resident, which means you can drive in Australia while your overseas license is still current and valid.
Please keep in mind that some states and territories may have their own regulations governing how long you can drive in Australia with an overseas license, so we recommend that you check the details in the state or territory where you will be driving.
While some students from certain countries can easily transfer their overseas license to an Australian license, other students from some countries will need to undertake tests in order to get an Australian license.
If you are planning to deliver food with delivery apps like Uber Eats, then having an overseas license is a must (Especially if you are going to use a motorbike or car for delivering).
Read our complete guide on how to deliver with Uber Eats here.
9. Medical Records or Prescriptions
If you have some specific health conditions, and you’re carrying some medicines along with you, it’s always a good idea to bring those prescriptions as well.
Also, you need to bring other prescriptions like your glasses or some other medical trackers.
10. Work Related Certificates
If you’re planning to work in Australia, it is a good idea to bring along your work certificates.
It could be a reference letter in your home from your employer, or it could be a work experience certificate.
11. Other Certificates
If you have completed any short courses, like an IT course or any trade course, it’s a good idea to bring those certificates along.
Also, if you have completed a barista course in your home country, it might be a good idea to bring that along.
12. Personal Identification Documents e.g. National ID Card or National Tax Number Card
If your country issues a National ID Card, then please make sure to bring that along as well as they can help to identify you or prove your age or citizenship of a country when needed.
If you don’t have a National ID Card, then other documents like Tax Number Card or any other relevant document that can help prove your identity can be great to bring.
13. OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) Policy
Most of the students who are going to study in Australia will need to purchase OSHC policy for covering any health related issues while studying in Australia.
You will be given an OSHC policy or deed by your OSHC provider, so it will be good for you to bring that document.
14. Vaccine Certificate
It is not required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if you are coming to Australia anymore but if you already have been vaccinated, then it will be good to bring along that certificate with you.
So these are the important documents that we suggest students to bring along when coming to Australia for their studies. Let us know which other documents you are bringing along with you.
