Australian Education and Migration Services
The Australian education system provides primary, secondary and tertiary education.
School education is similar across all of Australia with only minor variations between states and territories. School education (primary and secondary) is compulsory between the ages of six and sixteen (Year 1 to Year 9 or 10). School education is 13 years and divided into:
Primary school - Runs for seven or eight years, starting at Kindergarten/Preparatory through to Year 6 or 7.
Secondary school - Runs for three or four years, from Years 7 to 10 or 8 to 10.
Senior secondary school - Runs for two years, Years 11 and 12.
There are two broad categories of schools in Australia – government and private. Both accept international students. The school year in Australia is divided into four terms and runs from late January until December. Most of the schools provide home stay arrangements or boarding facilities to the students.
Planning and following an education pathway can streamline your study plan. A Foundation course can help you reach your goals faster.
If you don’t meet the entry requirements to get into the course you want in Australia, there are many pathways that can help you reach your goal.
This might include studying in an Australian school, taking English language preparation or studying a vocational education and training course.
If you don’t meet academic requirements, there are a few options to prepare you for further study. Depending on your previous studies and the final qualification you want to study, you can enrol in secondary school or Foundation Studies.
Foundation Studies involve an intensive preparatory course that will give you the skills you need to enter an undergraduate course at a university or higher education institution. These studies are usually divided into streams such as business studies and science studies, and offer both compulsory and elective subjects. English language support is usually available.
Many schools, vocational education and training institutions, and universities offer Foundation Studies courses. The common feature of Foundation Studies is that a university allocates a provisional place in an undergraduate program assuming you achieve the prescribed grades.
Tertiary education includes both higher education (including universities) and vocational education and training (VET).
In Australia it is quite common for students to enrol in a double or combined Bachelor Degree program which leads to the award of two Bachelor Degrees. This is most common in the fields of arts, commerce, law and science.
Australian institutions offer a wide range of courses – from science to management and commerce, humanities to engineering, and law to health sciences. Australian institutions rank among the world’s best by discipline, particularly in engineering and technology, medicine, environmental science, and accounting and finance.
There are 43 universities in Australia (40 Australian universities, two international universities, and one private specialty university). Along with our universities, many other institutions offer higher education courses.
VET qualifications are outcome-based and focus on the occupational skills and competencies gained. The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognises prior learning or current competence in the industry. This makes credit transfer easier and offers students flexible learning pathways. Qualifications range across four levels of certificates (Certificate I, II, III and IV), as well as Diploma courses and Advanced Diploma courses.
Your VET course will broaden your skills in a specialised area that teaches you the practical experience you'll need for the workplace. It will train you to design, plan, and execute the practical and technical aspects of your field in an industry context.
Listed below are the qualifications and possible career outcomes of Australian VET courses:
Duration - 4 to 6 months
Career outcome - Competent operator
Duration - About 1 year
Career outcome - Advanced operator
Duration - About 1 year
Career outcome - Qualified tradesperson or technician
Duration - 12 to 18 months
Career outcome - Supervisor
Duration - 18 to 24 months
Career outcome - Para-professional
Duration - 24 to 36 months
Career outcome - Junior manager
English is the official language of Australia and the main language of instruction in the education system. Many schools offer bilingual programs or programs in other languages.
Australia offers a range of English courses to suit a range of study needs. There are a range of English language testing organizations whose results are recognized in Australia and around the world.
Your goal - To improve general proficiency to access higher level courses; to improve your English for everyday use; to improve your English for travel; to improve your English for work purposes or to do casual work in an English speaking country
Course description - Focusing on communication skills with emphasis on speaking and listening
Your goal - You want to study in an Australian school, vocational college or university
Course description - Preparing you for study at an English-speaking university, higher education or vocational institute
Your goal - You want to learn the spoken and written English needed for a specific context and perhaps want to consider an internship
Course description - Focusing on practical English for specific course areas such as business, aviation or tourism
Your goal - You plan to take an exam such as IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, or the Cambridge First Certificate
Course description - Preparing you for English language proficiency examinations
Your goal - You want to teach English in schools in your own country
Course description - These courses include TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, EfTC (English for Teaching Children.)
Your goal - You want to have a short holiday, study English and have fun or study English and undertake work related training
Course description - These courses are a combination of General English with sporting, social, tourist, cultural or professional training activities.
The Australian education system is distinguished from many other countries by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The AQF was established in 1995 and is a national policy that covers qualifications from the tertiary education sector (higher education and vocational education and training) in addition to the school-leaving certificate; the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education.
The AQF has 10 levels and links school, vocational and university education qualifications into one national system. This allows you to move easily from one level of study to the next, and from one institution to another, as long as you satisfy student visa requirements. It allows for choice and flexibility in career planning. All qualifications in the AQF help prepare you for both further study and your working life.
If you are studying an AQF qualification, you can be sure that your institution is Government-authorised and nationally accredited, and that your degree or other AQF qualification will be genuine.
Our institutions are linked across the country and across the world, which makes it easy to move throughout the education system between courses or institutions and formal agreement and recognition frameworks mean every step of the path will contribute to your future no matter what your study or career goals.
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