🇮🇳How to apply to an Australian university from India

The steps, in order

1. 1

   Shortlist courses and confirm you are eligible

   Filter the universities directory by state, tuition, English requirement, and intake. Confirm the course is open to international students for your intake and has an active CRICOS code.

   Check the course's academic requirement against your qualification. A three-year Indian bachelor's is accepted for most Australian master's programs, with a minority of competitive courses wanting a four-year degree or first-class marks.

2. 2

   Sit IELTS, PTE or TOEFL

   Book early. Most master's courses want IELTS 6.5 overall, higher for nursing and teaching.

   Many universities accept a medium-of-instruction letter instead of a test for admission if your degree was taught in English. The student visa has a separate English rule, so confirm both before relying on a waiver.

3. 3

   Get your academic documents ready

   You need your Class X and XII mark sheets, your bachelor's consolidated mark sheet and provisional or degree certificate, and a transcript. Some universities want the degree verified through the awarding university or a credential service.

   Order certified copies early. How your percentage converts to an Australian grade depends on your university or board, and universities publish India-specific entry tables.

4. 4

   Apply, directly or through an authorised agent

   Applying directly is free at many universities and keeps your logins and documents in your own hands. Create the account yourself.

   Several universities, mostly in Western Australia, only accept applications from Indian citizens through an authorised agent. Edith Cowan University, for example, lists India among agent-only countries. Check each university's how-to-apply page.

   Deadlines can fall earlier for Indian applicants. The University of Western Australia closes applications for higher visa-scrutiny countries several weeks before other countries, and Curtin closes 10 weeks before course start against 4 weeks for others. Apply three to four months ahead.

5. 5

   Accept your offer and pay the tuition deposit

   Read the conditions, fees, start date, and any scholarship before you accept.

   Paying the deposit, usually one semester of tuition, triggers your Confirmation of Enrolment. Keep the receipt.

6. 6

   Arrange and evidence your finances

   Show funds for first-year tuition (or the balance after the deposit), twelve months of living costs (AUD 29,710), and travel of roughly AUD 2,000 to 2,500, with a margin above the minimum.

   A savings history that predates your decision to study abroad is the strongest evidence. An education loan must be sanctioned and disbursed or ready to disburse, not approved in principle. A parent or close relative can sponsor you with documented income and a proof of relationship.

7. 7

   Move the money under the LRS

   The Reserve Bank of India's Liberalised Remittance Scheme lets a resident individual send up to USD 250,000 per financial year, and a parent can remit under a separate limit.

   Tax collected at source applies to money sent abroad for education. As of the 2025-26 financial year, remittances funded by an education loan from a specified institution attract no TCS, and remittances from your own funds attract 5 percent on the amount above 10 lakh rupees in a year. TCS is credited against your income tax, not a permanent cost, but it ties up cash, and these rules change often, so confirm the current position with your bank.

   Pay tuition through the provider your university nominates, usually Convera, Flywire or PayMyTuition, which give a matchable reference and a receipt built for a visa file. Keep every transfer receipt.

8. 8

   Lodge the subclass 500 student visa

   Lodge in ImmiAccount yourself, or through a registered migration agent, using your Confirmation of Enrolment. The base charge is AUD 2,500 for the main applicant.

   Answer the Genuine Student questions, which replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant test in March 2024, and keep them consistent with your financial evidence. Lodge early: India is at Evidence Level 3, processing is slower, and offshore refusal rates are elevated.

9. 9

   After the visa is granted

   Buy Overseas Student Health Cover for the full length of the visa if you have not already, book your flights, and arrange temporary accommodation for your first week or two rather than signing a lease you have not seen.

   Within seven days of arriving you must give your university your Australian residential address. This is student visa condition 8533, done through the student portal, and missing it is a visa breach. Then attend orientation, complete enrolment, apply for a Tax File Number if you plan to work, and open or activate an Australian bank account.

Documents checklist

A working timeline for a February intake

Semester 1 courses start in late February or early March. Working back from that, and allowing for the checks specific to India:

1. 10 to 12 months beforeShortlist courses, book and sit IELTS or PTE, gather mark sheets and transcripts
2. 8 to 9 months beforeSubmit applications, directly or through an authorised agent (earlier for WA universities)
3. 5 to 7 months beforeReceive offers, accept, pay the tuition deposit
4. 4 to 6 months beforeReceive the Confirmation of Enrolment, buy OSHC, assemble financial evidence, start LRS transfers
5. 3 to 5 months beforeLodge the subclass 500 visa in ImmiAccount
6. 1 to 2 months beforeVisa decision, book flights, arrange first-week accommodation

See the February 2027 intake deadlines for the per-university dates.

Where Indian applications go wrong

• ·Money that appears in an account only days before applying, with no savings history.
• ·An education loan sanctioned in principle rather than disbursed.
• ·Unexplained gaps in study or work, with no account of them in the Genuine Student answers.
• ·A course that does not build on your existing qualification.
• ·Missing an early Western Australia deadline because you assumed the standard date applied.