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Fri, 17/07/2009 - 12:45

More than only study cost

International students often ask: `How much is it to study overseas an which countries are more expensive than others? It is a question that is very difficult to answer. International students on average spend about A$ 33,000 (US$ 26,000) per year in Australia, including tuition cost, travel cost and living. However some may spend double that amount while others survive on half. The first problem is that some courses are more expensive than others. From the table beneath you can learn that average tuition fees in Australia can vary quite significantly:

University Foundation Studies such as university entrance, preparatory and bridging courses	A $9,000 to 14,000 a year
Undergraduate Bachelor Degree such as courses in arts, business, economics and law Laboratory-based Bachelor Degree such as science and engineering courses	A$10,000 to 13,500 a year A$11,000 to 16,500 a year
Postgraduate Graduate Certificates Graduate Diplomas Masters Doctoral Degree	A$9,000 to 16,000 a year A$11,000 to 18,500 a year
Vocational education and training Certificates I – IV Diploma Advanced Diploma	A$5,500 to 18,000 a year
School Secondary school Primary and junior secondary schools	A$6,000 to 22,000 a year A$5,000 to 11,000 a year
English language training varies significantly depending on the course duration or institution	A$3,500 to 13,500

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MBA in Australia

Looking at MBA’s the fees vary even more. You can do an MBA under $ 30,000 at a number of Universities in Australia but it could cost you well over double or even triple that amount at some of the top tier Unis. The problems that arise when trying to compare cost in Australia show why it is even more difficult to compare international study and living cost. Private Universities in the US are twice or double the price you would pay in Australia, but public US universities charge similar prices. Same applies to the UK. Comparing living cost in the UK does not make it easier. For example: rent in London is on average about double the cost of rent in Manchester. Another important factor is the exchange rate. As the pound has recently devaluated considerably compared with a lot of other major currencies, for many it has become cheaper to study in the UK. The same is true for the Australian dollar which lost about 15% in value compared with the US dollar.

Other factors to consider

So while study cost will always be an important factor in choosing a country to study in, there are a lot of other factors to consider like: climate, vicinity to your home country (cheaper and easier to make a quick trip home in between semesters), quality of education, life style, language and the chance of receiving a permanent residency after study. You can see that the choice of country to study in almost requires a study on its own. My advice is to take you time and carefully compare the factors mentioned above as your international study adventure will be a huge factor in how the rest of your life will evolve.