Australian Degree Funding

Funding for Higher Education in Australia increases year after year and many students are unable to support themselves.

This section gives details of the main sources of funding you can look into to help yourself financially whilst studying in Australia.

1. Home country

Your own country is a potential source of funding, either from organisations or companies based in your home country or from your government.

This is an avenue that you will have to explore before you leave and some of the stipulations of funding might be that you have to return to your home country once you have graduated, so keep this in mind when applying for aid from your home country.

2. International organisations

There are several international organisations, such as the Fulbright Commission, who provide financial aid to students all over the world. Other such organisations who offer help are:

Many of these require you to be in your home country when you apply, so plan ahead and make sure you get your application in early as they can be very competitive.

3. Australian universities

A majority of Australian universities offer limited financial aid for international students through their financial aid offices.

In general, however, there is much less money available for undergraduate study than there is for graduate study.

Private institutions can sometimes discount or reduce the costs of tuition, though public institutions rarely have this option. You should ask for information about financial aid when you request an application form from the institution's admissions office.

In some cases, it may be possible for you to participate in a formal exchange between your home institution and the institution you wish to attend in Australia.

You can get more information on exchanges by contacting the international student offices or by contacting the corresponding office at your institution.

This type of person-for-person exchange can sometimes reduce expenses.

4. Private Australian organisations

Australian companies and organisation may provide funding for international students coming into Australia.

See the International Scholarships website for more information and search the online database to find these awards.

5. Family

The biggest source of income for international students is your family.

This may be either in the form of your parents, or aunts and uncles providing you with some money for your studies abroad.

Hopefully through one or more of these avenues, you can secure enough funding for your Australian degree.

Further information

For more help and advice on applying to university in Australia, please see: