Study in Regional Areas in Australia | IDP India
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- 10 min
- Published: 17 April 2024
- Updated: 16 April 2024
Benefit from studying in Regional Australia as an international student
If Australia is the country where you are planning to pursue your higher education, then regional Australia is a great option which you must consider in addition to the popular choices, Sydney, and Melbourne. The growth of regional Australia can be attributed to the announcement of more than 1,000 regional scholarships and the introduction of graduate visas from up to 8 years of Post-Study Work (PSW) rights upon graduation. The institutions based in regional Australia offer a pleasant lifestyle, personalised university experience, beautiful landscape views, and high employment opportunities.
Why study in Regional Australia?
Here are some of the benefits of studying in Regional Australia:
Additional 2 years of Post-Study Work Visa
The Australian Government has announced a two-year extension of post-study work rights for international graduates with select degrees in areas of verified skills shortage to strengthen the pipeline to skilled work. The extension will take effect from 1 July 2023. This extension will give eligible international higher education graduates an additional two years.Specialised course offerings
The regions offer courses which are not only specific but also relevant to the local professions. For instance, universities based in coastal regions of South Wales offer Marine Biology and the famous wine-making regions of Adelaide offer specialised degree courses in winemaking.Limited batch size
You can experience more personalised environments due to the smaller batch size in regional universities.Affordable tuition fees and cost of living
At any point in time, the tuition fees and the cost of living will be lesser as compared to other cities.Numerous scholarship options
About 1,000 regional scholarships and a special scholarship of approx. AUD 15,000 known as ‘Destination Australia’ are available for international students who take admission to regional universities to pursue courses from certificate IV levels to the doctoral level.A relaxed and comfortable lifestyle
Far from the crowd of the main cities, regional Australia offers a more pleasant lifestyle and a close-knit community culture without any compromise on facilities, amenities, and entertainment.
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Regional area classification
Definition | Locations |
|---|---|
Major Cities | Sydney Melbourne Brisbane |
Cities and major regional centres | Perth Adelaide Gold Coast Sunshine Coast Canberra Newcastle/Lake Macquarie Wollongong/Illawarra Geelong Hobart |
Regional areas and other regional areas | New South Wales (NSW) Victoria Queensland Western Australia Northern Territory Gold Coast Perth Sunshine coast Byron Bay Adelaide Cairns Tasmania Bundaberg |
Source: Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs
Popular regional Australian areas
1. New South Wales (NSW)
New South Wales (NSW) is a famous tourist destination and home to many of the most beautiful beaches and scenery globally. Also, it has many manmade and natural wonders to attract an international crowd.
Opportunities: New South Wales (NSW) is a top destination for international students, with over 260,000 students from 160 countries. It is also Australia's largest economy, larger than that of Malaysia and Singapore. NSW’s diverse cities and regions offer great opportunities for students to learn, work and explore, including the strong Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) NSW, boasting leading private education providers and English language colleges. The state also has top-ranked government and independent secondary schools, and a diverse range of universities and educational institutions that you can opt for to pursue higher education. *
*Source:https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/english/live/locations-in-australia/new-south-wales
Fun fact: The inventor of Australian Rules Football i.e., the popular game in Victoria, was designed in NSW by Wentworth Wills. Top universities: Australian Catholic University, Charles Sturt University, Macquarie University, Southern Cross University, University of New England, University of New South Wales, University of Newcastle, University of Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney, University of Wollongong, Western Sydney University, TAFE, VET Top courses: Nursing, Communication, Environmental Science, Health and Education |
*Source: https://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/Destinations/new-south-wales
* https://universityreviews.com.au/list-of-universities/nsw/
2. Victoria
Regional Victoria is a beautiful place with enticing scenic beauty. It is also home to renowned wineries, picturesque natural springs, world-famous surf spots like Bells Beach, and ski-friendly mountains in the winter. Also, the institutions in larger regional centres offer world-renowned qualifications and a wonderful student experience. Not so surprisingly, regional areas in Victoria have comparatively low costs of accommodation making it one of the best student hubs.
*Source: https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/english/live/locations-in-australia/victoria
Opportunities: The Victorian Government is supporting sectors that will drive the region’s economic growth and jobs such as Construction Technologies, Creative Industries, Defence Technologies, Digital Technologies, Food and Fibre, International Education, Healthcare, Space Technologies, and Logistics.
Fun fact: The region is often referred to as the ‘Garden State’. Besides, the branch of the Australian Mint’s Note Printing (Melbourne) designed and printed the world’s first plastic banknotes. Top universities: Deakin University, Federation University Australia, La Trobe University, Monash University, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, University of Melbourne, Victoria University Top courses: Business, Education, IT, Arts, Health, Accounting, Commerce or Science. |
*Source: https://universityreviews.com.au/list-of-universities/victoria/
3. Queensland
The region is known as a paradise for quality education in contrast to other countries. In addition, the Universities in Queensland State are ranked highly by all the employers of the world.
Opportunities: Science, Engineering and Medicine are some of the fields which are expected to flourish as global employers such as Boeing Australia, Mitsui, Virgin Australia, Warner Bros, General Electric, Ernst & Young, and many international banks and other global organisations are attracted to set up their basis in the region
Fun fact: It’s the region with five of Australia's eleven World Natural Heritage areas namely Scenic Rim National Parks, Riversleigh Fossil Fields, Fraser Island, the Wet Tropics including Daintree National Park and one of the Wonders of the World i.e., the Great Barrier Reef. Top universities: Central Queensland University (CQUni), Bond University, Griffith University, James Cook University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Queensland, University of Southern Queensland, University of the Sunshine Coast Top courses: Sports, Psychology, Hospitality and Leisure Management, Mineral and Mining Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Nursing, Agriculture and Forestry, Education, and Sociology. |
4. Western Australia
The region has five universities, a state-wide TAFE, and private vocational colleges to provide formal courses to meet the needs of individual industry employers. Perth is the capital of Western Australia.
It is one of the most liveable cities in the world, and it's easy to see why! It has world-class universities, a warm, sunny environment, a laid-back culture, and a thriving economy. Western Australia's education system is often regarded as one of the greatest in the world. It has world-class universities, as well as a number of prestigious schools, English language colleges, and vocational schools that provide high-quality education. Many international students choose Perth as their study destination because the educational institutions in Perth assure a rewarding and successful career.
Opportunities: Western Australia is well-known for having the fastest-growing economy in the country. With a population of under 10%, the state accounts for 30% of the country's export revenue. Thousands of work opportunities for locals and foreigners have arisen as a result of this dynamic economy. Western Australia is also quite famous for its mining industry and Perth is the hub for people who want to work in the stream.
Opportunities: Mining, Construction, Healthcare, ICT and Financial Services are the five high-demand jobs in Western Australia.
Fun fact: Western Australia is Australia’s largest state with a total land area of 2,529,875 km2 i.e., 33% of Australia’s total land mass. Top universities: Curtin University of Technology, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, University of Notre Dame, The University of Western Australia Top courses: Engineering, Science, Nursing, Education and Aboriginal studies, IT, Finance: Build Environment and Business Management |
5. Northern Territory
Darwin is the Northern Territory’s capital with all essential services, modern infrastructure, and vibrant culture. In addition, with more than 100 varied culture and community groups, It’s home to several festivals, cultural and social activities, and food.
Opportunities: The region offers employment opportunities across industries like Agribusiness, Minerals, Oil And Gas, Renewable Energy, Space, and Tourism
Fun fact: The lush and tropical north of the Northern Territory is referred to as ‘Top End’, while the desert areas of central Australia are called the ‘Red Centre’. Also, Perth is famous because of a few Hollywood stars who were born, raised or studied here like Sam Worthington (Avatar), Isla Fisher (The Great Gatsby), the late Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) and Melissa George (Mulholland Drive). Besides, Hugh Jackman also spent time in Perth training as a young actor. Top university: Charles Darwin University Top courses: Nursing, Education, Community Services, IT, Accounting or Engineering. |
6. Gold Coast
Famous for its beaches, the region is the main attraction for tourists and international students. Also, it has the largest number of universities, vocational and trade courses of any regional city.
Opportunities: Since Tourism is the flourishing industry of this region, there are ample opportunities for international students in hotels, restaurants, and tourism operators. While the healthcare and construction industries are also gaining popularity with time.
Fun fact: With the three major universities and large TAFE institutions, the city attracts several international students. Besides, the city also attracts many tourists as the place is diverse, fun, multicultural and famous for nightlife. Accommodation rates are lower than in capital cities, with rooms in a share house starting from a minimum of $135 per week in areas like Surfers Paradise and Southport. Top universities: Griffith University, Bond University and Southern Cross University Top courses: Hospitality, Cookery, Tourism, Design, and IT |
7. Sunshine Coast
It can be your perfect spot if you are looking if a lifestyle, smart investment, and ample opportunities. Besides, it’s also a famous tourist place and offers promising career prospects in industries dependent on the same.
Opportunities: Tourism being the largest sector of the region offers great opportunities for aspiring chefs, restaurateurs, and hotel staff. However, nursing, healthcare, business management and construction are also growing with time.
Fun fact: Explore a range of exotic sporting, music, cultural, and food events like the famous Woodford Folk Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, Big Pineapple Music Festival, Noosa Triathlon Multisport Festival and Ironman 70.3 events and Noosa International Food and Wine Festival. Top university: University of Sunshine Coast and CQ University (CQU) Top courses: Social Science, Business, Tourism, Education, Humanities, Communication, Creative Industries, Law, Health, Design, Science, and Technology. |
8. Adelaide
Famous for its endless vineyards, an ideal location for the one who wants a sophisticated yet family-friendly lifestyle. Besides, it’s an affordable place with ample employment opportunities and a multicultural environment.
Opportunities: The most popular job portfolio includes Chefs, IT professionals and Mechanics.
Fun facts: The region is home to the largest display of Aboriginal artefacts. So, a wide range can be explored at the South Australia Museum. Also, it’s the Opal capital of Australia, both locally and internationally it’s famous for the best-selling opals available. Top universities: Flinders University, University of South Australia, and The University of Adelaide. Top courses: Creative Arts and Media, Nursing and Midwifery, Medicine, Law and Criminology, Innovation and Enterprise, Business, Engineering, IT, Education, Environment and Social Sciences. |
9. Cairns
This tropical area offers a pleasant lifestyle with bright career prospects, especially in construction, hospitality, and healthcare.
Opportunities: The region is gaining popularity with time trade work for technicians, construction workers, healthcare workers, business managers and administrative workers are in great demand in line with the traditional job of hospitality staff.
Fun fact: It’s such a popular place with the 7th busiest airport in Australia, but only has just two terminals and only one runway. Also, the airport is just a 10-minute drive away from the city centre, so you will hear a plane many times throughout the day and night. Top universities: James Cook University, CQ University (CQU) Top courses: Creative Arts and Media, Medicine, Geology, Education, Philosophy, and Business Administration. |
10. Tasmania
It’s an affordable region location list, which is great for nature lovers and food bloggers.
Opportunities: Hospitality is the main thriving sector, but the region offers high employment opportunities to IT and communication specialists and electricians.
Fun fact: Tasmania is a region with the cleanest air in the world (monitored by the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station). The reason for the lack of pollution is the position of place in the Southern Ocean i.e., far from other land masses. Top university: The University of Tasmania Top courses: Education, Nursing, Health, IT, Design or STEM |
By studying at a regional university, you’ll have the best of both worlds i.e., global connectivity and international recognition along with the benefits of a close-knit community and multicultural environment. To understand and explore more about the opportunities and experiences to study in a regional university, feel free to speak with an IDP expert who will be happy to help you through the entire admission and departure process.
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