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Student visa for Australia
Money to show for the visa: AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs. Work while you study: 48 hours a fortnight when the course is in session, unlimited during breaks. Checked against the official pages on 24 September 2026.
The numbers
- Money you must show
- AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs
- Visa fee
- AUD 2,500
- Work while you study
- 48 hours a fortnight when the course is in session, unlimited during breaks
- Stay after you graduate
- Subclass 485, 2-3 years for degree level, up to 18 months vocational. Age 35 or under.
Unchanged since 10 May 2024. Tuition and travel are additional.
Study Australia (Austrade), checked 2026-09-24
From 1 July 2026, up from AUD 2,000. Was AUD 710 two years ago.
Study Australia, published 3 July 2026, checked 2026-09-24
Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 8, condition 8105, checked 2026-09-24
Study Australia, checked 2026-09-24
Worth knowing: The AUD 29,710 proof of funds covers living costs only: first-year tuition and travel must be shown on top, and the 485 has an age limit of 35.
The visa
Subclass 500. The fee is AUD 2,500 from 1 July 2026, the third sharp rise in three years: AUD 710, then 1,600 in July 2024, then 2,000 in July 2025, now 2,500. Australia now has the most expensive student visa in the English-speaking world by a wide margin. A concession keeps the prior charge for applicants from ASEAN nations, Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste, and for independent ELICOS students.
The money: AUD 29,710 for twelve months of living costs, unchanged since 10 May 2024. Anything quoting AUD 24,505 is two revisions stale. This is the living-costs component only: the full test also requires your first year's tuition and travel, so a student on AUD 50,000 tuition must show roughly AUD 82,000 in total.
Overseas Student Health Cover is mandatory and your visa will be refused without proof of it. Six approved insurers; budget roughly AUD 650-1,100 a year for single cover. It excludes dental, optical and physiotherapy and caps pharmaceuticals.
Processing times are not reliably published: allow four to twelve weeks for higher education from offshore, and considerably longer for vocational, where scrutiny is now heavy.
The Student visa (subclass 500), step by step
Where to apply
At the embassy or consulate of Australia that covers your country, or through the visa application centre it names. Book early: in the busiest months appointments can be weeks away. Apply only through the official website; nobody can sell you a faster place in the queue.
Government scholarships to study in Australia
- Australia Awards Scholarships closed for this round
Which of these are open to your nationality
By nationality
From Algeria
From Armenia
From Azerbaijan
From Bangladesh
From Brazil
From Cameroon
From Canada
From China
From Colombia
From Egypt
From Ethiopia
From Georgia
From Ghana
From India
From Indonesia
From Iran
From Iraq
From Japan
From Jordan
From Kazakhstan
From Kenya
From Lebanon
From Malaysia
From Mexico
From Morocco
From Nepal
From Nigeria
From Pakistan
From Philippines
From Russia
From Saudi Arabia
From Senegal
From South Africa
From South Korea
From Sri Lanka
From Syria
From Tanzania
From Tunisia
From Türkiye
From Uganda
From Ukraine
From United Arab Emirates
From United States
From Uzbekistan
From Vietnam
From ZimbabweQuestions students ask
How much money do I need to show for a Australia student visa?
AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs. Unchanged since 10 May 2024. Tuition and travel are additional. (Study Australia (Austrade), checked 2026-09-24).
How much is the student visa fee for Australia?
AUD 2,500.
Can international students work in Australia?
48 hours a fortnight when the course is in session, unlimited during breaks.
Can I stay in Australia after I graduate?
Subclass 485, 2-3 years for degree level, up to 18 months vocational. Age 35 or under.
This page is general information from official sources, not immigration advice. For a decision about your own case, the official source or a regulated adviser is where that belongs.