STUDY INÂ CANBERRA
What's in this student city guide?
Quick facts about Canberra
📍 Territory
Australian Capital Territory
📆 Established
1913
🌆 Area
814.3 km2
👪 Population
400,000+
🌥 Climate
Oceanic
👋 Welcome to Canberra
Canberra, Australia’s capital city is known for its educated residents, world-class universities and natural beauty that makes studying it a great study option
Here is a student guide about study in Canberra. We hope you enjoy reading it.
Reasons to Study in Canberra
🏆 Young City
Canberra is not only106 years old city but 25% of its population consists of students only. Thus making this city very youthful with lots of opportunities.
🧡 Safe and Vibrant
Canberra boasts one of the lowest crime rates in Australia. Also it is a city with many events, galleries, museums, wineries and gardens, all within an hour’s drive from the city center.
🏫 Accommodation
Canberra has one of the largest on-campus accommodation facilities in Australia which makes moving to a new city much easier for students.
👔 Job Opportunities
With the lowest unemployment rates and the highest average full time job salary, you will have plenty of work opportunities around Canberra during student life and after graduation.
🏛 Top Class Universities
Canberra has some of the best universities in the world. Also, modern infrastructure and the largest Free Public WiFi in Australia helps you to achieve the best.
🚴 Eco-friendly City
Canberra is one of the few planned cities in the world which is clean and sustainable as well. Around 53% of the area in the city is covered by parks and natural reserves.
đź’ˇ Did you know?
Canberra has the most highly educated population in Australia.
Universities and Vocational Education in Canberra
🏛 Universities in Canberra
Here is a list of Canberra based universities in Australia:
Australian National University (ANU) is known for its outstanding research and post-graduate programs. It is the only university created by the Parliament of Australia in 1946. The university consistently ranks as Australia’s number one university in the QS World University Rankings.
University of Canberra (UC) is famous for its quality teaching and focus on professional development of the students than just academic learning. UC offers more than 300 courses including some of the courses not offered by other universities in Canberra with a strong practical focus.
📒 Universities with Satellite campus
Apart from those two universities from Canberra, there are campuses from Australian Catholic University, Charles Sturt University and the University of New South Wales.
✍ TAFE and other education providers
Canberra Institute of Technology is Canberra’s TAFE offering various vocational educational programs to more than 20,000 students through its 5 campuses in Canberra. There are few private providers also providing vocational and English programs to overseas students.
Monthly Cost of Living in Canberra
🏠 Rent
$700
🍔 Food
$500
🚌 Transport
$100
🔌 Utilities
$150
🎉 Others
$100
💵 Total
$1550
⚠ Disclaimer
The prices are expressed in Australian Dollars for each month. The figures are for single student in a shared living setting. The figures are gathered from various sources, talking with students, our team experiences and provide general guidelines. The cost of living in Canberra can vary based on your lifestyle, type of accommodation, personal choice and many other factors.
Transport in Canberra
📌 How to get to city from Canberra airport?
Canberra Airport is just 8 kms from the city centre.
You can take a public transport bus also called ACTION Bus route Rapid 3 from Canberra airport to reach city centre. It take less than 20 minutes to reach city via this bus.Â
You will need to have a Myway card to travel on this bus and it costs $5 to travel to city from airport.
Other popular mode of transport to get to city from the Canberra airport include shuttle bus, taxi services and ride sharing service like Uber etc.
🚌 Public Transport
Canberra is well connected with the bus service that operates throughout the city and the surrounding areas. There is also a light rail service that runs between Canberra city and Gungahlin.
You will need to get a MyWay card in order to travel on public transport in Canberra. It costs $5 to buy this card. You will need to tap on and tap off when getting on and off the public transport. The weekly cost for public transport for students can be between $30 to $40.
🚖 Other Transport & Concessions
As an overseas student you are entitled to full concession in the Australian capital city, Canberra.
With 500 kms worth of bicycle paths all around the city and surroundings, cycling is another very popular way of travelling around Canberra.
There are plenty of walking tracks built around the city as well.
đź’ˇ Did you know?
Canberra is also known as Bush Capital as it is covered with parks, lakes, rivers, hills, etc.
Key Events During The Year in Canberra
🚘 January
Summernats
The most popular car festival in Australia is held in Canberra. Featuring everything from custom cars to burnouts, it is a big tourist draw for the city.
🎠 February
National Multicultural Festival
Exotic dancers, floats, and parades are common sights to see on this occasion celebrating the diversity of cultures in Australia.
🎶 April
National Folk Festival
This festival is a celebration of the Australian folk culture, including a gamut of traditional activities and artefacts such as market stalls, circus performers, and independent performers.
📺 Oct - Nov
Canberra International Film Festival
The annual film festival held in Canberra is a celebration of cinema across an 11-day program, featuring films from Australian and worldwide as well as additional events like workshops and panel discussions.
🌳 Sept - Oct
Floriade Spring Festival
The spring season is celebrated in Canberra with the Floriade, with over a million flowering bulbs decorated with artistic features. Food, wine, music, and recreational activities are also part of the festival.
Free Things to do in Canberra
🏛 Royal Mint
Experience mighty robots (including the legendary Titan robot that can lift a tonne) at work in minting the circulating coins in Australia and learn how they are made with a free guided tour offered at the royal mint.
🖼 New Parliament House
Since 1988, the New Parliament House on Capital Hill has been the meeting place of Australian Parliament. Attend the billing debate from a gallery, explore some of Australia’s most compelling artwork, and stroll through the halls and spaces that won design competitions.
🛸 Canberra Space Centre
Learn about amazing space exploration facts and Australia’s role in braving against the final frontier at this Space Centre, located at Canberra’s Deep Space Communication Complex. If that alone doesn’t make it worth a free visit, then you definitely will change your mind after you learn that they house an actual piece from the moon!
🌳 Enjoy nature
Canberra offers a wide variety of natural experiences, from the neatly ordered national botanic gardens and Arboretum to the remote wilderness of Namadgi Natural Park, you can find Mother Earth’s touch abound and well nourished in the capital city of Australia, free of charge.
⭐ Australian War Memorial
If you’re an Australian history buff, then the war memorial definitely should be on your list. From galleries and friendly volunteers, learn about the brave individuals of this country who participated in wars. Also take a moment at the Roll of Honour wall, which lists over hundred thousands of the fallen heroes.
🏁 Other places to explore
Apart from the list above, there are many other places to explore and visit in Canberra. Here are some of them:
Gold Coast
Melbourne
Perth
Adelaide
Sydney
Darwin
Brisbane
Canberra
Hobart
Newcastle
Geelong
Wollongong
Sunshine Coast
Cairns