Why Study in Australia
We all know a friend or have a relative who is studying, or have studied, in Australia. After all, there were close to 630,000 foreign students in Australia last year, taking courses from the primary school level all the way up to post-graduate degrees.
If you’re reading this, you may be considering going to Australia to take part in one of the many quality education programs the country offers.
Australian universities and schools are widely respected in many disciplines and Australia has produced many acclaimed scientists, successful business and public policy leaders, as well as famous figures in the creative fields.
Of course, studying in Australia is a lot more than just learning. In addition to the quality of education in Australia, foreign students are also attracted to Australia because of the country’s diverse cultures and vibrant lifestyles.
The diversity offers an enriching experience that goes far beyond the academic. Such multiculturalism also allows students from around the world to feel welcome and at home anywhere in Australia.
Living in Australia provides a gateway to diverse cultures and a vibrant lifestyle. The country values the cultural diversity and social sophistication that international students bring to its campuses and communities.
As one of the safest countries in the world with a low crime rate and social stability, Australia is a great place for international students to start their life journey. It also provides a high standard of living and a high quality of life at a relatively low cost.
Australia boasts one of the best education systems in the world. Australian universities and schools are widely respected in many disciplines and are consistently ranked among the best internationally.
The quality of education is also assured by the Australian government. In 2000, Australia introduced the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act, which ensures that, in order to enrol international students, institutions must first meet requirements for registration. All institutions that meet registration requirements are listed on the publicly available Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). Additionally, institutions also have to meet stringent standards for marketing activities, education delivery, facilities and student support services.
This means you will receive the tuition for which you have paid and your fees are protected by law. This also means that institutions are required to provide students information about how to adjust to life in Australia, including information on student support services and visa information.
Australian educational qualifications are registered under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The AQF links 15 school, vocational and university education qualifications into one national system.
The AQF allows you to move easily from one level of study to the next and from one institution to another anywhere in Australia. If you’re acquiring an AQF qualification, you can be sure that your institution is government-authorised and nationally accredited, and that your degree or other AQF qualification is genuine.
The AQF also makes it easy for organisations, education institutions and governments around the world to recognise your qualification. When international employers see your AQF qualification, they’ll know it stands for a world-class education achieved in a modern, democratic and technologically advanced society.
Within AQF, there is also a system to recognise your prior learning from other countries. The National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR) helps Australian institutions recognise qualifications from overseas.
Global Rankings
All Australian universities are accredited by the federal government of Australia. While there is no official ranking for Australian universities, there are a number of university league tables produced every year by relevant bodies. These include The Good Universities Guide, the Times Higher Education Annual World University Rankings and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Academic Ranking of World Universities.
In the 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), released by the Center for World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 17 Australian universities were included in the list. Of the 17 ranked institutions, three were placed among the top 100. They were Australian National University (59th), University of Melbourne (62nd) and University of Sydney (92nd). An additional 14 Australian universities, including all members of the Group of 8, were ranked in the top 500. Overall, of all Australian universities, 8 percent were ranked in the top 100 and 43 percent were ranked in the top 500 in the survey.
In the 2009 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, which lists the top 200 universities in the world, nine Australian universities were included. In fact, all but one were in the top 100, with Australian National University topping at 17th place. Overall, 23 percent of all Australian universities were ranked in the global list.
Despite the value these international rankings have in helping you choose the right institute, remember many other factors make up a positive education experience. All classification systems ultimately have some weaknesses because they concentrate on a particular aspect of the higher education service and ignore or fail to give enough weight to another. Sometimes, this skews what it means to be a top Australian university. For example, there is no established practice in international companies favouring graduates of particular business schools, as happens in other parts of the world. Business is too competitive to employ someone for prestige alone without considering what other qualities the employee will bring to the company.
To understand more about the different ways rankings have been applied, visit the Australian university rankings page.
To learn more about choosing the university or school that’s right for you, click here.
If you need some guidance on the type of course or field to study, click here