Study in Australia from China

Apply through the university's international portal or an authorised agent. Direct application is available at most universities for Chinese citizens. Agents are common because they handle the CoE, deposit, and visa lodgement together.

Expect to provide a verification report for your academic records from the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC or CHSI), and for school leavers a verification of your gaokao score. A few universities restrict specific feeder institutions or apply extra checks after past document-fraud cases, so read the entry requirements for your exact background.

Most universities run February and July intakes and assess on a rolling basis. Apply two to three months ahead to leave time for the visa. Use the universities directory and the deadline calendar.

Tuition runs from the low A$30,000s at regional and newer universities to the high A$40,000s and beyond at the Group of Eight. Living costs depend on the city: budget around A$30,000 a year, more in Sydney and Melbourne, less in Adelaide, Perth, and regional centres.

On top of that: the A$2,500 student visa, roughly A$500 to A$700 a year for single Overseas Student Health Cover, flights, and initial setup. See the cost-of-living breakdowns by city and the most affordable universities.

For undergraduate entry, most Australian universities now accept the gaokao directly, each with its own score threshold, usually a percentage of the provincial first-tier line. A completed Chinese senior high school qualification without the gaokao usually routes through a foundation year.

A four-year Chinese bachelor's degree maps directly to Australian master's entry. Universities publish China-specific entry tables keyed to the tier of your university (985, 211, or other), so the average you need can differ by institution.

English is shown with IELTS, PTE, or TOEFL. Medium-of-instruction letters are rarely accepted from Chinese institutions, so plan to sit a test. The university sets its score and the visa has its own rule.

International students hold the subclass 500 student visa. You apply after you receive and accept an offer and the university issues a Confirmation of Enrolment. You must meet the Genuine Student requirement, which replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant test in March 2024, and show genuine access to funds.

Chinese applicants generally face lighter upfront evidence requirements than applicants from Evidence Level 3 countries, particularly when applying to a lower-risk provider such as a Group of Eight university. You may still be asked for financial and English evidence. The assessment is set by a provider-and-country matrix that is reviewed periodically, so confirm the current position when you apply.

Where Chinese applications run into trouble it is usually over the genuineness of funds held in a parent's account, incomplete verification of academic records, or a study plan that does not fit the applicant's background. A clear source of funds and a complete CHESICC verification remove most of the risk.

Full detail on the visa itself, conditions, and family members is on the subclass 500 page.

Most bachelor’s and master’s graduates qualify for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), which gives two to three years of full work rights. That skilled work is the usual step toward permanent residence through the points-tested visas.

Check where you stand with the points calculator and track demand in the SkillSelect invitation rounds.