Guide
Studying abroad involves more than choosing a course. You also need somewhere to live, a workable budget and time to adapt, as well as a sense of what you want to do afterwards. This guide works through those decisions and explains where visa requirements need checking. Completing an Australian qualification does not automatically make every graduate eligible to stay and work.
There are several main types of study. ELICOS courses develop English for international students. Vocational education and training, or VET, includes certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas with a practical focus in fields such as cookery, automotive work, hairdressing and aged care. Higher education includes bachelor's degrees, graduate certificates and diplomas, master's degrees by coursework or research, and doctorates. For study on a student visa, check the provider and course on CRICOS, the register of approved international education providers and courses. Providers have obligations relating to student progress and welfare.
Your course can affect the evidence needed for a student visa and eligibility after graduation. Some bachelor's and master's qualifications may support a two-year 485 stream, while research degrees, particular passports and other streams can have different periods. Vocational graduates need to check the qualification, occupation and assessment requirements. A course completion alone does not establish 485 eligibility.
Think about the work you would like to do in the next few years and where you want to live. If permanent residence is a possibility you want to explore, understand the occupation and assessment requirements, but do not choose a course solely from today's migration list. If you intend to return to Vietnam, investigate how employers value the qualification, practical skills and experience. In either case, the course should have a clear purpose for you.
Compare completion and graduate employment information, the actual campus, the city and total costs. Regional study may bring migration benefits where the conditions are met, but “regional” does not automatically mean cheaper living or easier permanent residence. Consider local work, transport and services alongside the study opportunity.
Institutions commonly ask for qualifications, transcripts and English results. Some also require a statement, interview or portfolio of relevant work. You can apply directly or through a representative. Read any conditional offer carefully to identify the results, deposit and deadlines still outstanding. The provider may assess your study intentions before issuing the Confirmation of Enrolment used for the visa application.
Some scholarships are assessed automatically from academic results; others require a separate application, statement or research proposal well before the intake. I help identify relevant opportunities and prepare the requested material, including checking what the award covers and which costs remain yours.
Once you have the required CoE, the visa application addresses Genuine Student, English, financial capacity, OSHC, health and character. The indicative base charge is A$2,500; check the current amount and any applicable concession. I can help organise and edit your responses, but the reasons must reflect your own research and intentions. Read the final answers carefully so you can explain the course, costs and plans if asked further questions.
Build a budget from the expenses you expect to pay: accommodation, food, transport, study materials and a reserve. The visa financial requirement may not be enough for your circumstances. Part-time earnings can help, but should not be the only source for tuition and living costs. Any work must remain within your visa conditions and leave time to meet your course requirements.
Overseas Student Health Cover must run for the full visa period. Dependants who come with you need their own cover, and school-aged children pay school fees in most states.
Visa financial evidence needs to account for living costs, tuition and travel for the people included. Reference figures are A$29,710 a year for the student, A$10,394 for an accompanying partner and A$4,449 per child, with school costs of A$13,502 for each school-aged child where applicable. Travel from Vietnam is budgeted at around A$2,000. An alternative may rely on a parent's or partner's annual income, with reference thresholds of A$87,856 or A$102,500 where family members are included. Check the current figures, treatment of tuition already paid and acceptable evidence for your application.
Use the following ranges to understand the categories in a budget, rather than as current quotations. Replace them with actual accommodation prices, insurance quotes and your expected expenses before committing.
| Item | Typical range per week | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Room or studio | A$220 to 420 | Illustrative range; studios and central locations can cost more. Check utilities, internet and furnishings separately. |
| Food | A$100 to 160 | Depends on dietary needs, cooking and eating out. |
| Transport | A$40 to 60 | Check current fares and student programmes through your institution. |
| Phone and internet | A$15 to 30 | Prepaid SIMs are cheap and easy to set up. |
| OSHC | A$10 to 15 | Weekly estimate; cover commonly requires upfront payment. Obtain a quote for the insurer, policy and full period needed. |
| Everything else | A$50 to 100 | Books, clothes, going out, a small buffer for surprises. |
Indicative tuition ranges are A$300–450 per week for English, A$8,000–20,000 annually for vocational study, A$25,000–50,000 for bachelor's courses and A$28,000–55,000 for master's courses. Obtain the provider's quote for the whole programme, including possible increases. Ask whether materials, placement expenses and OSHC are separate rather than estimating the total from the first semester.
Unless exempt, you need appropriate OSHC for the required period in Australia. Cover should account for arrival before classes begin. If you are already here or changing visas, check that the policy remains appropriate and continuous for the periods when insurance is required.
You can compare OSHC providers such as ahm, Allianz Care Australia, Bupa, Medibank and nib against the current provider list. Look at benefits, waiting periods, out-of-pocket costs and claims arrangements as well as price. A provider or agent may arrange the policy, but make sure you have its insurer, dates and policy details.
Before booking a consultation, ask whether the clinic bills your insurer directly and what you may need to pay yourself. Some clinics claim from the fund; others ask you to pay first and seek reimbursement. Use the insurer's provider directory and ask about Vietnamese-speaking practitioners if helpful. Review the policy when a partner or child joins you, or a baby is born.
Options include university accommodation, purpose-built student housing, homestay, a room in a shared home and a private rental. Student housing often includes furniture and some services. Homestay means living with a host family and may include meals. Sharing can spread costs, while renting independently may need a larger budget and more rental evidence. Compare the actual total cost and terms of each property; no accommodation category is always the cheapest or most expensive.
Check individual banks' account-opening requirements before you travel. Some allow an application to begin from overseas, but access may depend on identity verification after arrival. Ask about fees, documents and when transfers can be made. For money sent home, compare the amount received after both the exchange rate and transaction charges.
Eligible applicants can obtain a Tax File Number, or TFN, free through the ATO. It helps an employer apply the appropriate tax withholding; not having one does not remove your right to wages, although more tax may be withheld. Track any superannuation contributions you are entitled to. Eligible temporary residents may apply for a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment after departure and visa cessation, subject to conditions and tax.
A prepaid SIM can provide a quick way to get connected. Ask your institution about current Victorian public transport fares and student discounts. To drive on a Vietnamese licence, check its validity, required translation or permit and the VicRoads rules. People living in Victoria who want to drive beyond six months generally need to convert to a Victorian licence. A temporary visa does not allow indefinite use of an overseas licence.
Student visa holders can work up to 48 hours a fortnight while their course is in session and without limit during scheduled breaks. Master’s by research and PhD students have no limit once the course begins. The limit is counted per fortnight, not averaged over the term, and breaching it is a visa cancellation ground, so keep your own record of hours.
Your pay must meet the applicable minimum or award, which sets pay and conditions for an industry or occupation. Rates may depend on age, employment type, hours and weekend work. Use the Fair Work Ombudsman's tools, keep payslips and record your actual hours. Being paid in cash does not remove employment rights, and underpayment can still be challenged. Tax and superannuation obligations apply under the relevant rules.
Choose working hours that fit your study and rest within the visa limit. If money pressures make the course difficult to sustain, speak with student support early. Your study progress and reasons for course changes may be considered in later visa applications.
Students under 18 need welfare and accommodation arrangements that meet the requirements. Options may include a parent or legal custodian with an appropriate visa, including the 590; an eligible nominated relative aged 21 or over; or provider responsibility through a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare, known as a CAAW. Form 157N supports relevant nominations. Check the relationship, immigration status and character requirements as well as the carer's age.
The arrangements must cover the required period, and a student should not arrive before the permitted CAAW commencement date. Changes to accommodation or carers must follow the approval and notification process. I help families check the dates and documents for a suitable arrangement.
Before booking an English test, check the approved test, format, required score and validity period for the 500. Familiar options include IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced, OET and LANGUAGECERT Academic. The approved list changed from 7 August 2025, so consult the complete current list. At-home tests are not automatically acceptable, and TOEFL registration for Australian visa purposes needs particular attention. Whether evidence must be submitted also depends on the applicable exemption and application requirements.
The usual reference level is IELTS 6.0 overall or equivalent. Certain eligible packages may accept 5.5 with at least ten weeks of ELICOS or 5.0 with at least twenty weeks. Previous English-medium study is not an automatic exemption: the location, programme, completion date and applicable rules matter. Providers set their own admission standards, which can be higher, so check both requirements.
The first weeks can be exciting and tiring at the same time. A club, Vietnamese student association, sport or volunteering activity may help you meet people at your own pace. If sleep, concentration or settling in is difficult, contact the institution's counselling or academic support service and ask about appointments and costs. You do not need to wait until a problem becomes overwhelming to seek help.
Most Vietnamese students who come to Australia for postgraduate study do a masters, and the first decision is which kind, because the two are not interchangeable and the choice reaches further than the classroom.
Two things about masters study matter for a visa plan rather than for study itself. A masters by coursework usually meets the Australian study requirement on its own, and a research masters or doctorate in a science, technology, engineering, mathematics or specified ICT field can add ten points to a skilled application. Neither is a reason to choose a course you do not want, but both are worth knowing before you enrol rather than after.
Entry is set by each university, not by a national rule. Expect a bachelor degree in a related field, a minimum grade average, an English result, and for some courses a portfolio, an interview or professional registration. Where your bachelor degree is from Vietnam, the university decides how it compares, and that assessment is theirs alone.
Not meeting a course entry requirement today does not close the course. Australian institutions run recognised routes into it, and a pathway is a normal plan rather than a fallback.
A pathway changes the visa application as well as the study plan, because the course length, the financial requirement and the genuine student assessment are all read against the whole package. A plan that makes academic sense can still read badly if the sequence looks like a way of extending a stay, which is why the reason for each step needs to be clear in your own words.
Scholarships for international students come from three places, and they behave differently.
Two practical points. A scholarship reduces the tuition figure used in your visa application, so the evidence has to be the formal letter rather than an expectation, and the reduction only counts once it is confirmed. And a scholarship with a service condition attached can sit awkwardly with a later permanent residence plan, so read the obligation before you sign it rather than after.
Students change their mind, and the system allows it, but not freely and not silently. The rules that matter are about timing and about who has to agree.
The risk in this area is rarely the change itself. It is a gap: enrolment ended, the new course has not started, the visa condition requiring enrolment is still running. If you are thinking about changing, the time to ask is before you withdraw from anything.
A student visa can include members of your family unit, which means a spouse or de facto partner and dependent children. They can be included when you apply or added later, and both routes have consequences worth understanding before you choose one.
Including family raises the funds you must evidence, because the financial requirement covers each person. It also changes the picture the Department is assessing: the application has to make sense as a study plan for you and a reasonable arrangement for the family, not as a way of relocating everyone on a student visa.
A partner on a student dependant visa generally has limited work rights, which increase where you are studying at masters or doctorate level. School-age children can attend school, though in some states international students' children pay fees at government schools, and that cost is easy to overlook when planning the budget.
Adding family after arrival is possible and common, and it is usually cleaner if the relationship was declared in the original application. An undeclared partner creates a problem later that is much harder to solve than declaring it at the start, even when there is nothing wrong with the relationship itself.
International education in Australia is regulated, and the protections are real ones that you can use. They are worth knowing before you need them.
The area where students most often get hurt is work, not study: underpayment, cash in hand, hours pushed beyond the condition. Being paid incorrectly does not remove your right to be paid properly, and there are protections for reporting it. If you are in that situation, get advice rather than deciding quietly to accept it.
Before finishing, check whether you qualify for the 485 and which date starts the application period. If granted, plan the available time around your occupation and goals, including relevant experience, assessment, English or employer sponsorship. Partner visas or further study are appropriate only where your actual circumstances support them. The permanent residence guide compares the main options.
Topic coverage informed by the Australian Government’s Study Australia (studyaustralia.gov.au), checked 13 September 2026. The words here are ours; check any figure, rule or entry requirement against the institution and the Department before relying on it.
Regional study may provide additional points or eligibility for a second graduate visa where the requirements are met. Costs and job opportunities differ by location and profession. Compare the migration criteria with the practical conditions for studying, working and living there before choosing a campus.
Eligible partners and dependent children may be included, with appropriate financial evidence, health cover and schooling arrangements. A partner's work conditions depend on the relevant visa and course provisions.
Book a consultation to discuss the requirements that may apply to you, any concerns about your case and what needs to be prepared. You are welcome to speak in Vietnamese or English.
Next step
A 30-minute consultation gives us time to discuss your circumstances, consider initial options and identify the documents that need checking. Some matters require a further review of the records before I can give a complete assessment.
