1. How to get into Australian universities?
  2. Which universities to apply?
  3. What are available scholarships for international students?
  4. How to get a scholarship?
  5. Can I apply for scholarship/admission at multiple universities simulataneously (at the same time)?
  6. How to find/select a supervisor?
  7. What is the English language requirements?
  8. How to decide if to do a research degree in Australia or elsewhere?
  9. What is an estimate of living expenses in Australia?
  10. Can I apply for Permant Residency, if I come to  Australia as a student?
  11.  Where to get more information?

How to get into Australian universities?

There are two types of graduate degrees available in Australia: research (PhD and MSc), and course-work (master degrees).

For a course-work degree admission usually is performed through applying to the school or the university.  So, please check the website of the prospective school or the university for furhter information.

For a research degree, in most of Australian universities, admission means making an agreement with a supervisor that s/he will supervise you for a master/PhD degree. Then the formal procedure of admission if followed by contacting the university.

The application procedure usually starts by sending an Email that includes your research interests, a short bibliography and your major achievements and your resume as attachment, to few supervisors that are working in the research area that you would like to puruse your degree.

It is advisable to contact more than one supervisors to get reply of some or at least one of them. The agreement of one of them to supervise you for a PhD means admission to the university. However, you need to fulfill the generall requirements of the university (e.g., WAM, English requirements, etc. Consult the Web sites of universities for more information).

The next big step is applying for a scholarship for international students. Without scholarships, many may not be able to afford the tuition fees that usually range from AUD 15000- AUD 25000 per annuam for a PhD degree, depending on the university.

You can apply directly after doing an undegraduate (Bachelore degree) with Honours, or after obtaining a master degree. For most Iranian students, the normal Bachelore satisfies this requirement, as there is a final project that is equivalent to the Honour thesis.   

Which universities to Apply?

In Australian education system, and for a research degree, the most important factor to decide about the university is the prospective supervisor and the research group. In fact, it is your supervisor and your research group that have a direct impact on your PhD, and they may provide great opportunities for your success and your future career.

So, my advise is to look for good supervisors, and good research groups, and then look for good universities. Off course, the more reputable and highly ranked is the university, the more is the chance of finding good supervisors and good research groups. Check the website of different schools/universities for different groups that are doing research, there.

In Australia, there is a community of universities, called Group 8 Universities that are known for excellence in research. However, good supervisors and research groups could be also found in other Australian universities. There are different rankings of the universities available on the Web that you can find through a Google search depending on your area of study.
 

What are available scholarships for international students?

There are four types of scholarships that may be available for international students. Information regarding the first three categories can be find on the Website of univesities, or schools.
  • EIPRS - Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarships- this a government sponsored scholarships, 
  • the equivalent to EIPRS, but it is paid by the universities,
  • institution grants, which provide granst in specific areas, e.g., NICTA - National ICT of Australia - offers scholarships to students in Computer and Electronics.
  • Scholarships available from research grants. Some supervisors advertise the availability of such scholarships on their Websites. It is also advisable to ask your supervisor, when you apply for admission, if there is any scholarships of this type available.

How to get a scholarship?

You need to apply to different scholarships that are listed in the previous questions. Note that generally the application for scholarships (first three categories) is open from mid July up to mid/end of September in different universities, for a start in the first semester of each academic year. Here are some points that may help:
  • Plan carefully and ahead in time, and prepare all required documentation so do not miss the deadlines,
  • Make sure that your documents arrive on time. If possible, use trackable express post to expedit the delivery process. 
  • Include all your achievements, publication and awards in your CV, and provide supporting document for each of your claims.
  • Try to get recommandation letters from previous supervisors, who know you most, and can write about you better. Scholarship winners usually have strong recommendation letters.
  • There are many Iranian students, which are successful in getting scholarships. So, prepare to apply and your chances are high! 

Can I apply for scholarship/admission at multiple universities simultaneously (at the same time) in Australia?


Yes. Off course it is possible. In fact, to increase your chance of getting scholarships/admissions and also to have more options to choose, it is recommended that you apply to more than one university for scholarships and also admissions, not only within Australia, but also elsewhere.

How to find/select a supervisor?

The most prominent method for finding supervisors is through visiting their homepage,  or sometime meeting with them in conferences. There are some general guideline that might help finding good supervisors and research teams:
  • Look at the recent publication record of the prospective supervisor in terms of publication venus, number of grants, responsibilities, professional memberships, collaborations with reputable national and international people. For this purpose you need also to know the reputable conferences and journals in your field of study. 
  • Look for previous PhD students of the supervisors, where they are working, and in case that is possible contact them and ask them about the supervisor,
  • Look for subjects/courses that the supervisor is teaching.
For a research group, the number of people in the group and their collaboration with each other and productivity are important. You may look for similar criteria as above for each member of the group.

What is English language requirement?

Australiana universities accept both IELTS and TOEFL test scores, with a preferece of IELTS. Check the details of requirement for each university from its website. Generally, the minimum requirement for IELTS is 6.0 in all bands, with overall band of 6 to 7 (depending on the university). However, the fact is that the stronger you are in English professioncies, the higher is your chance of success as you do not need to spend some part of your time learning English while studying.

How to decide if to do a research degree in Australia or elsewhere?

Most European countires including England, Australia and New Zealand have a similar education system for research degree (mainly PhD). The main difference with the American style of education is that the focus is more on research. There are few universities that also require some coursework, e.g., UNSW. However, in the American style of education for postgraduate studies there is usually two years of course-work, followed by a comprehensive qualification exam, and then 2-3 years of research.

So, it is mainly of your own decision based on different factors that are important for your life. However, the main driver of such decision making is finding a good prospective supervisor/research team, then the country will be determined based on that. An additional criteria that may be useful in decision making is that the weather, nature and life quality in Australia is probably among the best in the world.

What is an estimate of living expenses in Australia?

It depends on the city. Generally, big cities are more expensive with Sydney as the most expensive. There are different factors that constitute the expenses:
  • Rent: if you are single, then you have the option of shared accomodation. In this case, in Sydney, and arround UNSW the rents starts from $120 per week per room. If you are married and looking for apartments, the rents usually starts from $220 at the minimum, with a reasonable rate of $250-$300 per week.
  • The rest of expenses greatly depends on different indivisuals. To give you an idea of expenses, the EIPRS scholarship offers almost AUD 19000 per annum, which provides a comfortable amount for a single person. There are couples that also live (survive) on this money, and are happy!
See here for more information on cost estimation for living in Sydney
It is advisable to plan to arrive one-two weeks before the semester start, so you have enough time to find accomodation and be settled!

Can I apply for Permanent Residency (PR), if I come to Australia as a student?

Yes, you can. I assume that you mean applying as a skilled worker.
  • If you hold a government funded scholarship (e.g., EIPRS), then your scholarship will stop as soon as you become a PR. This means that you need to reapply for scholarships that are offered for local students. There may be few months before you MAY get the new scholarship. So, you need to have backup plans (money) for these few months. Check with your univesty for details, as some universities also accept to transfer your scholarship to a local scholarship.
  • Note that it may be better if you apply after you come to Australia, as if you have an Australian address, correspondance to your address will take less time.
  • You have only 6 months (now after low changes 12 months, not sure?) after entering to Australia to use your overseas working experience to apply as an overseas skilled worker. However, you may apply from your country. If you plan to apply inside Australia, you can leave the skill assessment step until you enter Australia, and finally apply while you are here, but definitely before 6(12?) months deadline period. If the application approved, you need to go out of Australia to collect your visa.
  • Otherwise, you need to wait until you complete your studies in Australia, and then apply as an onshore applicant.
Please visit here for more information:  Migarting to Australia

More information?


Website of Iranian in Australia: http://www.persianoz.com.au/html/index.php

Information about study in Australia:

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10/07/07