The cheapest nursing courses in Australia for international students

A Diploma of Nursing, usually delivered by a TAFE or private college, qualifies you to register as an Enrolled Nurse (EN) with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). It typically costs less and takes around two years. A Bachelor of Nursing qualifies you to register as a Registered Nurse (RN), the credential with the broader scope of practice, the higher pay ceiling, and the occupation that actually sits on Australia's skilled occupation lists. It takes three years and costs more.

Both are legitimate, regulated pathways, and an EN-to-RN bridging option exists if you start with the diploma. But they are not interchangeable for planning purposes, and a ranking that mixes diploma and bachelor's tuition without saying so, as this site's own nursing subject page did before a September 2026 fix, ends up recommending the wrong thing to someone who wants to become a Registered Nurse. This page ranks Bachelor of Nursing degrees only.

Nursing has a higher English bar than almost any other field, set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA): IELTS Academic 7.0 in listening, reading, and speaking, and at least 6.5 in writing, or the OET or PTE Academic equivalent. This applies at registration, and universities enforce it at admission, so it is not a score you can make up with a strong academic record elsewhere. Results from two test sittings within six months can be combined.

Registered Nurse is one of the more dependable occupations for skilled migration. Registered Nurse (Medical) and the other RN specialisations sit on Australia's Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, supporting the 189, 190, and 491 visas, and are nominated by essentially every state and territory. Clinical placement hours built into every Bachelor of Nursing program count toward NMBA registration, and the 485 graduate visa gives time to register and gain paid experience before applying for a skilled visa.

Universities generally ask for a completed senior secondary qualification (or a recognised foundation year) that meets their minimum, on top of the NMBA English bands above. Every program includes mandatory clinical placements, which come with their own checks: a national police check, an immunisation and vaccination record meeting the placement provider's requirements, and sometimes a Working with Children check, arranged through the university once you're enrolled.