Education System

Australia is home to over 1200 institutions, offering over 22,000 courses at all levels of education from school to vocational education & training (VET), from English Language Courses to higher education in universities. English is the primary medium of instruction.

At times, some international students are not able to gain entry into their desired institutions & courses because they are a bit short of the required entry levels in their education. The Australian Education system provides international students the advantage of having access to pathway programs, such as English Language courses, Foundation programs, diploma programs & bridging courses. These pathway programs enable international students to automatically gain entry into their desired courses upon successful completion of such pathway programs.

The Australian Education System provides primary, secondary & tertiary education and can be broadly classified as follows :

The Australian schooling system comprises of both government & non-government (private) schools. Each state government manages the school system within their state & provides funding for the schools. The curriculum taught in each state or school may vary but the learning areas are the same in all states. A “National Curriculum Framework” for all Australian schools ensures that uniform national standards in key learning areas are maintained by all Australian schools. It is compulsory for all Australian students to attend school until year 10 or age 16. The Australian schooling system is divided into :

It prepares people for work in a career that does not need a university degree. It focuses on developing career paths through a mix of study & practical work, and combines classtoom study as well as hands-on-training. There are 59 TAFE institutes& over 5000 private colleges offering VET courses in Australia. VET providers offer a variety of certificates & diplomas, and sometimes even Bachelor degrees, graduate certificates & graduate diplomas. Typically, a VET course can take anywhere between 3 months to 2.5 years depending on the qualification one is seeking. The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is the body which sets national standards for the registration & monitoring of VET providers, and for the structure of VET courses. Typically, VET students are –

Some of the advantages of VET are as follows :

The higher education sector consists of mainly universities, both government & private. There are 41 Australian universities, of which 3 are private. The national government provides funding for universities in all the states. Each institution has the freedom to specify its own mission & purpose, modes of teaching & research, the make-up of their student body and the range & content of their education programs.

The academic year is usually from early March to November or mid-July to end-June of the following year. The year is normally divided into 2 semesters, although some universities offer 3 semesters in one calendar year for certain courses. Students studying towards a doctoral degree or other postgraduate research degree may be able to negotiate an alternative starting date with their research supervisor.

The quality assurance of the Higher Education sector is carried out by the Tertiary Education Qaulity and Standards Agency (TEQSA), which registers providers, monitors quality & sets standards.

A higher education course leads to an award of any of the following :

The AQF is a national system of learning pathways, which is endorsed by the Australian government & recognized throughout Australia & by other countries. It covers most courses & training undertaken by international students in Australia.

The AQF is a system of 17 national qualifications in 3 sectors :

It shows students how they can progress through the Australian Education System. It is important since it –

Below is the link to the official Australian Government website for international students. The website provides ALL relevant information that you may need in order to choose the right course & institution. In effect, it is your one-stop source for all information that you need to take the right decision.

To properly advise students, education agents must have adequate knowledge of how to construct appropriate learning pathways for them. Hence, they need to understand the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) and also be familiar with the range of study options available.

If you are unable to take a decision on the institution/course, or have chosen one but are unfamiliar with the process of applying, or have secured admission in an educational institution and wish to apply for a student visa, or wish to apply for a Student Guardian Visa, please contact us.