Visa requirements

If you want to study in Australia, you must have a valid student visa. The Australian Government gives student visas to international students studying full-time on-campus.

How to apply for a visa

To apply for a visa, contact the Australian Government office in your home country.

Your application assessment

The Australian Government bases your visa application on:

1. Country assessment levels

Your country assessment level depends on the passport you hold, and the education sector that relates to your application. Find out more about your country assessment level (pdf, 147KB).

2. Visa type (subclass)

Your visa subclass depends on what kind of study you will be doing. You need to apply for your visa based on your subclass. Use the table below to find your visa subclass. You can get more information at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Visa type (subclass)Your study type
570 Independent ELICOS Monash University English Language Centre
572 Vocational Education and Training Monash College
(Please note: if you are enrolling in a course packaging Monash College and a Monash University degree, your subclass is 573)
573 Higher Education Monash University undergraduate and masters by coursework
574 Postgraduate Research Monash University masters by research, or doctoral degree
575 Non-award Foundation Studies/Other Monash Abroad
575 Non-award Monash University Foundation Year
576 AusAID/Defence Sponsored AusAID sponsored scholarship students

3. Medical, financial and English language requirements

Depending on your country of origin and/or your country assessment level (pdf, 147KB), you may also need:

  • a medical check
  • evidence of sufficient funds
  • evidence of English language skills

Working in Australia

Student visas automatically allow you to do paid work in Australia. You can work up to 20 hours per week during semester, and unlimited hours during semester breaks.

Extending your visa

If you need to extend your visa to complete your course, or to study other courses in Australia, you must submit your visa application BEFORE your visa expires. Check the visa issuing conditions on extensions.

You will need a new eCOE to extend your visa. Please contact the Health and Wellbeing hub on your campus for help.

Managing your visa

Changes that will affect your visa status include:

Change of address:

  • You must notify the government of a change of address within seven days of your arrival in Australia, and if you change your address once you are living in Australia.
  • If you change your address before enrolment, you should advise International Recruitment Services office in writing.
  • If you change your address after your enrolment you must advise the University.

Leave of absence/intermission

  • We only approve intermission on compassionate or compelling circumstances, like illness or severe personal trauma.
  • You need to support any application for leave of absence/intermission with supporting documentation.
  • We must inform the Australian immigration authorities once you leave your course. Normally, when you take leave of absence, the government requires you to leave Australia.

More information

To find out more about applying for a student visa, you can contact: