All you need to know about studying in Australia

With Australia relaxing its visa norms to accommodate more Indian students, the country could well turn out be a good option to study abroad, says counsellor Suchitra Surve of Growth Centre.

Australia is a natural wonderland of beautiful beaches, crystal blue waters, amazing ancient rock formations and pristine rainforests. It is the sixth largest country in the world and has the lowest population density per square kilometre.

The Australian landscape is highly distinctive, ranging from vast stony and sandy deserts and tablelands in the west and the center, to sweeping plateaus and plains flanking narrow coastal slopes to the east. The coastal areas feature broad sandy beaches and lush vegetation backed by a great variety of landforms.

Australia offers a unique experience for students. Apart from a world-class education system, the opportunities to get involved in daily life are endless: whether a student is into the arts or sports, partying or book clubs, the great outdoors or cozy cafes, they will find many ways to join in and have fun.

The sheer vastness gives Australia -- and its diverse population -- much of its character.

The Australian education system has a strong international reputation and is known for its effective structure and innovative policy developments. Australia is also one of the best places to live. It is a young, vibrant and friendly country in which students can live, learn and grow. So, if student want a quality education and a good lifestyle, Australia the place to be.

Australians are very friendly and helpful people, with a great sense of humour. Australians tend to follow each other a bit, like sheep on a hill. This happens because of the stability of Australian Institutions and the strong economy. This covers all areas of life including the work place.

Australians don't grow roots in the place they were born, especially younger people starting careers. They sell the place and buy another one wherever the job is.

The fashion in Australia is pretty casual. Australians are very informal when it comes to clothes, despite the fact that some work places require a good standard of dressing. Australians vary in their style of clothing, some love colorful clothes and some of them love very different dressing.  Melbourne is the top fashion place in Australia.

For studying the undergraduate programmes like BS, BE, BA etc, in any field, most of the colleges and universities in Australia require a minimum of 12 years of formal education.

In the Indian context, it implies to class 12 examination or junior college, as is applicable. Even diploma holders (10 plus 2 years diploma) are considered.

For graduate programmes like MS, MA, MBA in any field all Australian universities and colleges require a bachelor's degree for admission in any post graduate program. For certain courses, the bachelor's degree must be from the similar field insist institutes. So you may have to verify these requirements with your college and university before applying for it.

For all undergraduate or postgraduate courses, international students are required to provide his/her proficiency in English by taking the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam. A minimum band score required in IELTS would be 6.

Good universities require the score of 7 to 8 band. For Master-level programmes, GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is preferred, but most Business schools certainly want their students to have good GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test) score for admission to their institute.

Other documents that need to be submitted could vary from one institute to the other. You will have to check this against the college website or course co-ordinator and get it arranged accordingly. While doing so, kindly bear in mind, the deadlines for each of these formalities.

There are many scholarships available to Indian students wanting to study in Australia.

Australia is trying to attract Indian students for study abroad programmes by providing a part or full tuition waiver depending on the student's academic records and course interested. You will have to check for this advantage before applying to the university.

These scholarships also help students in supporting living costs and education-related travel expenses.

All the scholarships are merit-based and students need to demonstrate their eligibility when applying. There are no qualifying examinations for scholarships in Australia.

Scholarships are also offered by the Australian Government, education institutions and a number of other organisations. International students before applying for scholarships should check the criteria and accordingly do the needful.

Australia has a variety of high standard student accommodation available to suit different budgets and needs and there are several long-term housing options available for students.

Students have options for on campus and off campus stay. They can choose as per their budget and convenience.

You have hostels which cost $80? a week, homestay i.e. living with a family in their home ( for $110? a week); shared ($70? a week) and rental accommodation ($100? a week). Meanwhile, campus accommodation could cost you about $80? per week.

Of the above, sharing off-campus accommodation is very popular with international students.

Most universities and some vocational institutions offer a variety of accommodation deals on or near campus, such as apartments, residential colleges or halls of residence.

Residential colleges are slightly more expensive and provide accommodation with meals. They may also have sporting and social facilities, tutoring, libraries and computer facilities to add to your benefits and expenditure, depending on how you see it.

Halls of residence are located on or near institution campuses. Students usually have meals and some cleaning services provided.

Students need to apply early because demand for these places get higher during season time. The cost varies on the type of accommodation you choose, so do your homework well.

Some of the top rated universities in Australia that you can consider includes:

• University of Melbourne
• University of Queensland
• University of Sydney
• University of Western Australia (UWA)
• Monash University
• University of New South Wales (UNSW)
• Macquarie University
• University of Adelaide
• Flinders University
  

All the best!