The cheapest universities in Perth for international students
Perth is one of the more affordable capital cities for students, and unusually it counts as a regional area for skilled migration, so studying here earns the regional study points on the skilled visa points test and opens the 491 and 190 nomination pathways. The trade-off is distance from the eastern states. Curtin and UWA anchor the list.
Perth has universities across the full price range, and where you study inside the city matters less for cost than which institution and course you pick. This list ranks the Perth universities by estimated first-year budget, cheapest first.
The budget figure is the cheapest international tuition on record for each university plus our Perth living-cost estimate plus a rough setup allowance. Tuition varies a lot by course, so treat the order as a guide and check your specific program.
A resources-driven economy, not a services one
Western Australia's economy runs on mining and energy in a way no eastern-state economy does, which shapes the part-time and graduate job market international students actually encounter: strong demand in engineering, geology, and trades-adjacent support roles, but a smaller finance, media, and corporate-services sector than Sydney or Melbourne offers. If your field is engineering, mining, or earth sciences, that's a genuine advantage; if you're aiming at a career in banking, consulting, or media, the graduate job market is thinner than on the east coast, migration points aside.
Weigh that against the regional-migration points below rather than assuming they cancel out: a strong PR pathway on paper is worth less if the actual graduate job market in your field is thin where you studied.
South Metropolitan TAFE
A$49,000 first-year budgetPerth, WA. Tuition from A$18,000 a year.Edith Cowan University
A$61,000 first-year budgetPerth, WA. Tuition from A$30,000 a year.Murdoch University
A$63,000 first-year budgetPerth, WA. Tuition from A$32,000 a year.University of Notre Dame Australia
A$64,000 first-year budgetFremantle, WA / Sydney, NSW. Tuition from A$33,000 a year.Curtin University
A$69,000 first-year budgetPerth, WA. Tuition from A$38,000 a year.University of Western Australia
A$73,000 first-year budgetPerth, WA. Tuition from A$42,000 a year.
Scholarships that lower the Perth figures above
The tuition figures above are before any scholarship. These are the published scholarships on record for the universities in this list, each checked against the university's own page. Amounts, eligible courses and countries change by intake and are often tied to your academic results, so confirm on the linked page before you budget around one.
- ECU Success Scholarship at Edith Cowan University: 15% tuition reduction, rising to 20% then 25% as you complete credit pointsAssessed with your course application
- Murdoch University International Scholarships at Murdoch University: 15% or 20% tuition reduction (2027 awards)Assessed with your course application
- Curtin Global Merit Scholarship at Curtin University: 20% tuition fee reduction for the duration of the courseAssessed with your course application
- UWA Global Excellence Scholarship at University of Western Australia: 10% to 20% tuition, based on ATAR or WAM bandAssessed with your course application
No scholarship is on record for South Metropolitan TAFE, University of Notre Dame Australia. That does not rule out awards, so check the university directly.
The regional-migration angle is the real draw here
The whole of Western Australia, including metropolitan Perth, is classified as a regional area under the Department of Home Affairs' regional migration boundaries, which is a genuine structural advantage over Sydney and Melbourne: it adds points on the skilled visa points test, opens the 491 and 190 regional-nomination pathways, and can extend post-study work rights under the 485 visa for graduates of a regional campus. Confirm the current postcode list and points value on the Department of Home Affairs site before relying on it, since regional classifications are reviewed periodically.
Balanced against that, Perth's distance from the eastern states means fewer direct flights and a higher cost to travel home or to conferences/interviews on the east coast, worth weighing against the migration points if your degree or career plans pull you toward Sydney or Melbourne after graduation.
How this list was built
We took every published university with a campus in Perth, used its lowest international tuition (university-wide or its cheapest program), added the Perth living-cost estimate and about AUD 4,000 in setup costs, and sorted low to high.
Frequently asked questions
Does studying in Perth actually help with permanent residence?
It can, through the extra points and nomination pathways that come with Western Australia's whole-of-state regional classification, but the strength of that pathway depends on your occupation being on the relevant state or federal skilled occupation list. Check your specific occupation against WA's current nomination criteria rather than assuming the regional classification alone is enough.
Is Perth a cheaper place to live than Sydney or Melbourne?
Generally yes, on rent in particular, and that gap is part of why it shows up ahead of Sydney and Melbourne on the budget figures above. It's also more isolated, with a higher cost and longer travel time to reach the eastern states, which is worth weighing if you'll want to travel for internships, interviews, or visits home on that side of the country.
What jobs are actually easy to find for students in Perth?
Hospitality, retail, and warehousing roles are as available in Perth as in any Australian city; what's genuinely different is the depth of demand in engineering, geology, and technical support roles feeding the resources sector, which is a real advantage if your degree is in one of those fields and less relevant if it isn't.
How far is Perth from Sydney and Melbourne, and does that matter for studying there?
It's roughly a four-hour flight, noticeably further than the one-to-two-hour hops between the eastern-state capitals. It mostly matters for the cost and hassle of attending east-coast interviews, conferences, or family visits, rather than for the day-to-day experience of studying in Perth itself.
Do I need to be studying a mining or engineering degree to benefit from Perth's regional status?
No, the regional-migration points and nomination pathways apply regardless of your field of study; only the graduate job-market advantage is field-specific. A business or arts graduate in Perth gets the same regional points as an engineering graduate, just without the same local industry demand once they're job hunting.
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