Universities In Australia

Universities In Australia
Australia has 39 universities which range in size from approximately 3,000 students to 50,000 students. Most of these universities are run by the government. Australian universities offer both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in traditional and contemporary subject areas including innovative courses IT, science and electronic business.

Students who wish to attend an Australian university will have to make an application for the university and course of their preference in or around September in their last year of secondary school. After Year 12 results have been published, universities will inform students if their application has been successful or not. The student then has the choice of accepting the position and beginning university the following year, accepting it but deferring for a year or rejecting the position down. Universities then make offers to other students based on the amount of acceptances, deferrals and rejections for their courses.

The majority of Australian universities receive some level of government funding and support, with the federal annual expenditure over recent years amounting to billions of dollars. Universities in Australia are considered among the world's best and known for their exceptional standard of teaching and research professionalism as well as for offering the highest level of education in an expansive range of disciplines and subjects.

Usual programmes will last for three years, while there are also longer lasting double-degree programmes, graduate diplomas which can take between one and one-and-a-half years, and a number of other options including distance and part-time learning. Academic professors, lecturers and other members of staff are recruited internationally from various other countries. Australian universities have many strong international connections with other universities and educational institutions around the world, as well as joint ventures and partnerships in many areas, including education, research and business. In particular, they aim to develop strong ties with counterparts in the Asia-Pacific region.

Some of the top-ranked universities in Australia are consistently included in the top 100 universities in the world listed by the Times Higher Education Supplement. Among these are the Australian National University, the University of New South Wales, the University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney and Monash University.

There are provisions and mechanisms in place to ensure the quality of education which Australian universities provide continues to meet a high level of international standards. There is legislation in place which establishes the universities as autonomous bodies, with the responsibility for their maintenance and governance invested into the local council or senate. These bodies are accountable for the federal, state and territory government universities.

In addition, the quality of higher education provided by Australian universities remains at a high level with the help of the Australian Qualifications Framework – a system of academic qualifications that make it easier to give credit and qualification recognition to the higher education institutions throughout the country.

The cost of studying at an Australian university can vary greatly. An undergraduate cost tends to range between $10,000 and $16,500 per year, a postgraduate programme can be between $9,000 and $18,500 per year, and foundation studies are normally between $9,000 and $14,000 per year.