All those who have been thinking about studying in Australia have possibly almost, always, planned of studying at the universities in Melbourne or Sydney, or Brisbane. Not a lot of international students are aware of the top-class regional universities of Australia. There are world-class Universities in regional Australia, where the competition is less but due to lack of awareness, they attract mainly local Australian students.
What is a Regional Australia?
The definition of a regional area in Australia has changed various times over the years.
Since November 2019, regional areas have been recognized as the cities and townships outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane’s major capital centers. The areas that make regional Australia are not rural centers but fast-growing modern towns and cities like Perth, Gold Coast, Bundaberg, Adelaide, Hobart and Geelong. These cities are less populated, and relaxed but have the same facilities as the larger ones.
Why Study in Regional Australia
The Government of Australia is trying to encourage international students to study, work and live in the selected Regional Australian cities. If any international student lives and studies in any of these Regional areas for a minimum of 2 years or more they gain extra 5 points on the Immigration Points Tests which in turn increases the chance of PR in Australia.
The Advantages of Studying in Regional Australia are given below:
Let’s have a detailed look at the benefits of studying or working in the Regional Australian cities and towns:
- Easier Way for Permanent Residency
If you want to stay permanently in Australia for work after completing your studies, studying at a regional Australian University is a great way to achieve your dreams. The Australian government is trying to decongest the big cities of the nation and is encouraging people to move to the regional areas. The government has come up with plans to attract immigrants to these areas.
One of them being – Studying in regional Australia adds five (5) extra points to the Immigrants Point Test. The Post-Study Work (PSW) Visas when one studies here provides almost four (4) additional years of stay after study to work. This is a huge help if you want a permanent residency visa.
- Cheaper Cost of Living
Big Australian cities like Sydney are known for being expensive. These bigger cities have quite a high living cost as compared to regional centres. The most important cost factors for students are accommodation, provisions and food, and electricity and gas.
It has been found that a single individual’s total cost of living in a major city like Sydney was 27% higher than in a regional city such as Adelaide. Accommodation in Sydney is very expensive. It is at least 75% higher than in Adelaide.
- Funding Opportunities for Students
Regarding the chances of getting funding to study in Australia options for university students, attending a university in regional Australia is much higher. The government and private sector have many scholarships for students in regional areas. One of the most popular is Destination Australia.
- Relaxed and Enjoyable Campus Experience
Regional Australia Universities are spread over huge areas and offer a seamless, stress-free university experience. The universities in regional Australia are not overcrowded. This provides you with a smaller class size, which means you can get more out of your classes as in dividua attention is more. Also, since the classes are smaller, the chances for interaction with classmates, professors increase meaningfully.
- Jobs and Economic Opportunities
It is not always true that only big cities have jobs. Many of the regional Australian cities are huge and yet the competition for the job is less here In recent years due to government push and cheap rentals many large corporations, have moved much of their activity to regional areas. Regional Australia, as per a study, has witnessed an upsurge of 13% jobs between 2019 and 2020, despite the pandemic.
- Additional year on Post Study Work Visa
As proclaimed by the Australian Government, international students studying at regional universities get an extra year of Post Study work visa. This visa allows the students to stay back in Australia after completing their studies and gain full time work experience and also allows the students a chance to apply for PR.
- Specialised courses
There are certain types of courses that are only available in regional areas. For example, the University of Tasmania’s Marine courses is the kind of one and only courses available throughout Australia.
List of Regional Universities in Australia
There are a lot of world-class universities offering various undergraduate, postgraduate, professional and PhD courses spread across the numerous regional centers in Australia. Here is a list of the top few:
Adelaide
- University of Adelaide
- University of South Australia
Perth
- University of Western Australia
- Curtin University
- Edith Cowan University
Gold Coast
- Griffith University
- Bond University
Canberra
- Australia National University (ANU)
- University of Canberra
Sunshine Coast
- University of the Sunshine Coast
Newcastle
- University of Newcastle
Darwin
- Charles Darwin University Cairns
- Central Queensland University
Lake Macquarie
- Macquarie University
Geelong
- Deakin University
Hobart
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges
- University of Tasmania
Wollongong
- University of Wollongong
For admission and choosing the best courses in the Universities, you will need thorough information about these universities, the courses, expenses and the application process.
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