Student Visa

The Australian Government operates an Overseas Student Program (OSP) that allows people who are not Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents to study in Australia.

Any person who is not an Australian resident may apply to study in Australia under the OSP. A person who wants to study under the program must obtain a student visa before they can commence a course of study in Australia. You can be granted a student visa only if you wish to undertake a registered course or part of a registered course on a full-time basis.

A registered course is an education or training course offered by an Australian education provider who is registered with the Australian Government to offer courses to overseas students. The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST ) can provide details of registered courses.

The Australian education system is divided broadly into four levels of schooling:

primary;

secondary;

vocational education; and

training and higher education.