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Student Visas for PhD in Australia
Written by Sarah Hastings-Woodhouse
There is only one study visa available in Australia for international students. This is known as the Student Visa (subclass 500). You'll need this visa to study in Australia for your Bachelors, Masters or PhD.
The Student Visa (subclass 500) allows you to stay in Australia for up to five years depending on the length of your course.
Note that the new Student Visa replaces Australia's Higher Education Sector Visa (subclass 573) and Postgraduate Research Sector Visa (subclass 574). These are no longer available.
Visa requirements
In order to qualify for an Australian study visa for your PhD, you'll normally need to:
- Be studying full-time – Australia doesn't issue visas to international students on part-time PhDs
- Have confirmation of enrolment at your university – you'll need to have been accepted to study a PhD in Australia before you can apply for a student visa
- Possess sufficient financial resources to support yourself during your PhD. The Australian Government expects students to have access to at least AUD $29,710 (USD $18,575) per year
Provided you fit all of these criteria you can begin your visa application online.
English Language requirements
Australian PhDs are delivered in English. You'll need to have sufficient English language skills to communicate and comprehend complex information and ideas during your PhD.
Additional evidence won't normally be required if you are a native English speaker (or have completed a previous course of study in English). Otherwise, you may need to provide a language test score along with your visa application.
Most recognised English language tests will be accepted. The score you need will depend on the test you take:
| IELTS | 6.0 |
| TOEFL (internet-based) | 85 |
| CAE | 176 |
| PTE | 61 |
Changes to the English language requirement
The Australian government has annouced that starting next year English language requirments for a student visa will increase from IELTS 5.5 to 6.0.
Health insurance
You'll need health insurance to cover the duration of your PhD in Australia. You can obtain this from various providers (including universities). Whichever policy you choose must meet the standards set by Australia's Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) guidelines.
Working during your PhD
You can carry out paid work for up to 48 hours per fortnight whilst researching for a PhD in Australia. No restriction is applied to employment during holiday periods, however, you should check that any work you undertake fits with the requirements of your PhD (and the expectations of your supervisor!).
Fees and processing times
The standard cost of an Australian Student Visa is AUD $2,000 (USD $1,317). You may have to pay extra if your visa requires extra processing or if you are bringing additional applicants (such as family members) to Australia with you. The Australian Government provides a searchable database of all visa costs.
Student Visas take an average of 13 days to process, and 90% are processed within 29 days – but you may occasionally have to wait longer than this. You can check current wait times on the Australian government’s Immigration and Citizenship website.
Study a PhD in Australia
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Sarah Hastings-Woodhouse
Sarah joined FindAPhD as a Content Writer in 2021 and produces polished and thoroughly researched pages to inspire and inform prospective postgraduate students. In her time at FindAPhD, she has gained a comprehensive understanding of the postgraduate journey and has engaged with hundreds of prospective postgraduates while manning the advice stand at our popular study fairs.
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