Student Visa Australia

How to Apply for a Student Visa

IMPORTANT - This information is intended as a broad guide only – for more in-depth information or for the latest news on visa conditions and requirements, visit www.australia-student-visa.com and the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship website. Alternatively you can contact one of our registered education agents and be eligible for free ongoing advice on your visa application and all other student issues.

When you have decided on a course, completed all of the necessary application forms and received confirmation of acceptance you must then apply for a student visa. Courses which are three months or less may be studied on a tourist visa, however if you are enrolled full-time in a registered course you will require a student visa which allows you to work part-time and received student health insurance.

When you have confirmed your place in the course and paid your necessary fees, the institute will send you an electronic ‘Confirmation of Enrolment’ (an eCoE) or letter of offer. Once this letter has arrived you may approach the Australian Embassy in your home country to apply for a student visa.

There are several universal requirements that must be fulfilled by anyone applying for a visa to Australia – including being of sound health and mind, of having health cover for yourself and any dependents, of being an upstanding societal figure, of having no monetary debt to Australia and of having all the necessary accommodations and support necessary if you are 18 or under.


There are seven subclasses of student visa.

Your subclass is determined by your chosen course and your home country.
Subclasses include:

• 570 – ELICOS courses. This visa must be applied for independently of the eventual degree you wish to study.
• 571 – School courses
• 572 – VET courses
• 573 - University courses - including bachelor degrees, graduate certificate and graduate diplomas.
• 574 - Masters and doctorate degrees.
• 575 – Foundation courses or full-time non-award courses.
• 576 - AusAID or Defence sponsored courses

You may have to undertake a Preliminary Assessment before receiving your eCoE, depending on which subclass you belong to. There are five levels of visa assessment, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest level of assessment - only those belonging to levels 1 and 2 will require a preliminary assessment. This assessment will involve an examination of your ability to speak English, your finances, your course fees, your academic history and other factors which may influence your completion of the course.

If you are required to take a Preliminary Assessment, you will need to show your ‘offer of a place in a course’ letter from the Australian educational institute when you apply for your visa. If you pass the Preliminary Assessment successfully, you will receive your eCoE and can continue finalising your visa application.