Hot Courses and Current Specials
Change Your College/ Course
Choosing a study program as an international student in Australia can be a huge decision. Sometimes you arrive and then realise your chosen course isn’t the best option for you. The Australian Government , wants to encourage genuine students to come here and enjoy the Australian lifestyle while you study, so if you want to change your institutions or a course it is possible but there are strict guidelines for you to follow.
After helping thousands of students, we have ascertained few reasons why students would like to change:
- They are not enjoying the current Program
- They are not able to pass the units
- They pace of the delivery of units is too fast.
- Sometimes student get influenced by their newfound friends or roommates
- Financial circumstances can change back home and they find the course too expensive, especially when they are not passing units.
If you are changing a course being offered by the same institution, then you just need to go and talk to the student services department in your college and they will help you out.
However if you are planning to change to a different institution then the General
- As a general rule you must complete the first six months of your principal course, before you can make any changes. This is discussed on homeaffairs.gov.auIt would also be found in your education provider’s, terms and conditions of enrolment.
- However if you need to change earlier, then you need to have compelling and compassionate reasons, to be released before the six months have been completed.
- You will require a letter of offer from the new institution and then apply for a letter of release from your current institution.
- This request must state the reasons why you are seeking the release.
- If this is accepted then you will receive a new Confirmation of Enrolment from your new institution that will be electronically supplied to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
- In other words, you can’t just change courses, you need permission from your current college to do so. Please note that your current institution has the right to refuse your request. You will need to prove why continuing at your current institution is not in your best academic interests or that you have special circumstances surrounding the move
Rules for change of institution are:
Do I need to apply for new visa?
- If you want to change to a new course at the same level of qualification ( Please see the AQF level chart below) , you do not need to apply for a new student visa unless your current visa is about to expire.
- If you are downgrading the level of qualification, you will need to apply for a new student visa because your visa subclass will change. for example, dropping from a Bachelor program ( Level7) to a diploma program
(Level 5) then you will need to apply for another.
NOTE: If you are transferring to a different institute, you can claim credits for the units you have passed at the previous institute. So when you are moving to a new university or institute you can get a scholarship and get credits for the units passed at the same time.
Please call our admission team on 02-89702398 and our experienced counsellors will give you the best
Regional Australia Study options
What is regional Australia?
On November 16 2019, The Australian Government in a bid to encourage development of regional areas, made changes to Skilled Visa program. The move also to attract international students to live and study in designated Regional areas. Most locations of Australia outside major cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) are classed as designated regional areas for migration purposes.
Cities like Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra , Geelong, Hobart are now under Cities and Major Regional Centers. Rest of the areas are now classified as Regional areas and other Regional areas.
The main advantage for international students studying in a Regional centre are:
- if you live and study in one of these Regional Areas for at least two years, you can gain an extra 5 points on the Immigration Points Tests, which may increase your chance of PR in Australia.
- International graduates with a bachelor or higher qualification from a regional (Regional cities) campus of a registered institution will be eligible to access additional1 year in Australia on a post-study work visa
- International graduates with a bachelor or higher qualification from a regional campus of a registered institution will be eligible to access an additional 2 years in Australia on a post-study work visa.
- Increased points for regional state nomination.
- Not to mention the cheap cost of living.
| Definition | Locations | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Cities | Sydney Melbourne Brisbane | No regional area incentives |
| Cities and major regional centres | Canberra Perth Adelaide Geelong Hobart Gold Coast / Sunshine Coast Newcastle/Lake Macquarie Area Wollongong/Illawarra | - Additional 1 year post-study work visa for students at regional university campuses . ( Bachelor or Higher Qualification only) - includes the Regional Occupations List – more jobs compared to non-regional lists. -25,000 regional places are available priority processing on regional visas. |
| Regional areas and other regional areas | All other locations not mentioned above | - Additional 2 year post-study work visa for students at regional university campus . ( Bachelor or Higher Qualification only) - includes the Regional Occupations List – more jobs compared to non-regional lists. -25,000 regional places are available priority processing on regional visas. Australia on a post-study work visa for international students at regional campuses Priority processing of region-specific Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs |
Source: Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs
Current Scholarships available
Destination Australia Scholarship Program
The Destination Australia Program is designed to encourage domestic and international students to study in regional Australia, to grow and develop regional Australian tertiary education providers and to offer students a high-quality learning experience. Higher education and vocational education providers with a campus located in regional Australia may be eligible to apply for scholarships of up to $15,000 per year for students to study at that campus.
Applications for Destination Australia grants for 2021 scholarships are now open to eligible vocational and higher education providers.
Note that because of COVID19, most universities are offering scholarships from 10-30% for July & November 2020 intake. Please call us to see if what Scholarships are being offered by the university you are keen on applying.
Also note that if you are transferring to a different institute, you can claim credits for the units you have passed at the previous institute. So when you are moving to a new university or institute you can get a scholarship and get credits for the units passed at the same time.
How do students apply for a scholarship?
Please call our admission team on 02-89702398 and our experienced counsellors will give you the information on the current scholarship being offered by Institutes.
Refunds/ Deferrals/Extensions
Every institution has a different process for Refund/Deferral & Extensions. In most cases you could speak to your student services team and get these sorted. But there are circumstances where specialised guidance is required for the above process. So if you have a request to for any of the above services then please email or call us on admissions@uniquemigration.com.au and we will assist you with your query.