Government Loans for Permanent Resident Students in Australia

It becomes a challenging affair when you are keen to continue your studies in Australia but your academic dreams may come to a grinding halt due to paucity of funds.

Believe me, it is truly a traumatic experience to go through this stressful period of looking for funds and sponsors that can help you through your further studies. Having gone through this harrowing journey, I thought I might just pen down my findings here so that you guys who are on the look-out for funds for further studies might find some help and guidance.

There is a vigorous competition for the scholarships offered to overseas students by the Australian government. Majority of these scholarships are extended to students undertaking university education especially those pursuing post-graduate study.

One important scheme that comes to my mind is the Endeavour Awards Program which is the brainchild of the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The aim of this program is to bring in academically excellent students to Australia to pursue short or long-term courses (study or research) in a varied range of subjects.

Many Australian Universities offer loans and scholarships to overseas students who are mainly involved in research or who are pursuing Masters Degree. If you have enrolled yourself in a University that comes under fund granting section of the Higher Education Funding Act, the loan facility is available. The loan covers only the tuition fee charged by the University every semester and does not include the accommodation or other costs of living. You start your repayment process the moment your income level reaches the minimum threshold for mandatory repayment.

Apart from this, there are some loans offered by the University during the course of your term. These loans may be short-term or long-term. The short-term loans are usually availed by students to meet their running financial difficulties or unexpected expenses. With its exclusive student loan funds, the University (only selected ones) tries to help students to tide over sudden financial difficulties.

However, prior to applying for such loans, it is always advised that the students meet the Financial Aid advisor and discuss their financial situation with him and then take the decision of applying for a loan. Strict repayment schedules are laid while offering these loans and failure to meet them will result in serious academic disasters for the students. Your results may be withheld or graduation not allowed. Hence dedicate yourself to the task of repaying these loans prior to availing them.

The Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) is another excellent system by which the Commonwealth Government extends a helping hand to students who wish to pursue their studies further. There are 3 kinds of HELP loan facilities available to students.

HECS-HELP - This loan is offered to eligible students who are supported by the
Commonwealth to defer their Student Contribution Charge. An Australian citizen or holder of a permanent humanitarian visa is eligible for this loan.

FEE-HELP - This loan is given to under-graduate or post-graduate students who have difficulty in paying their fee to the universities. Australian citizen or permanent residents can avail this facility.

OS-HELP - This facility is available to eligible under-graduate Commonwealth student wishing to pursue part of their study overseas.

All the above loans are to be repaid through the taxation system once your income reaches the particular repayment level.

Even though I have guided you through some loan options, I would always advise students to follow money management to avoid sudden monetary pitfalls. Make sincere efforts to track your expenses. Shop in a sensible manner and try to minimize costs wherever possible. This would enable you to be financially strong and even if you avail any loan, the amount of debt can be reduced to a minimum which makes the repayment schedule non-taxing for you.

The article is brought to you by www.synch1.com feel free to contact us about your Australian immigration and Australian visa applications.

Brought to you by the Australian Immigration Experts at Synch1

Study Abroad in Australia

Australia is one of the most sought-after places to study as far as international students are concerned.

Currently housing more than 300,000 international students, Australia is well known for its world-class universities, state-of-art curriculum and excellent faculties. Hence, there is no wonder that many reading this article nurture the dream of studying in Australia.

If your choice of education is Australia, you have chosen innovation with exceptional quality balanced by independence and creative ingenuity.

School Systems in Australia

Let us briefly look at the various study options available in Australia from the school level.

Schools in Australia are acclaimed for their proficient teachers, state-of-art facilities and an interestingly challenging curriculum Schools that admit international students also conduct special English language programs.

On completion of secondary education in Australia, the student becomes eligible to apply in any of the Australian Universities.

There are several institutions of higher learning in Australia. These offer specialization courses at the post-graduate level. There are universities that offer under-graduate courses and diploma courses to international students. Traditionally falling within the British university tradition, the teaching methodology involves lectures and group discussions. The learning process in these universities is an excellent program that deals with mutual involvement of the students and teachers along with effective learning sessions and performance analysis.

Options For Undergraduates

BACHELOR DEGREE:
This involves a three year course of full-time study while specialty courses like Medicine and Architecture may take some more time.

BACHELOR DEGREE WITH HONORS:
Students who excel in the Bachelor Degree with exceptional results can extend the program into an Honors Year that will lead them into a PhD Degree.

DOUBLE DEGREE:
In this system, students have the choice of procuring a second degree through a single-year of full-time study apart from the three-year under-graduation course.

DIPLOMA:
A recent innovation in the Australian education system, this option allows the student who has finished class XI to take up an 18 month course on completion of which he/she can choose any selected Universities for pursuing their degree courses.
Don’t feel too apprehensive about the length of these courses. Most of them follow the British pattern. The under-graduate courses are mostly three year long courses.

TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION:
Apart from going to Universities, students also have the choice of undertaking Technical training in case they are interested in choosing a vocational course. There are several institutions that offer vocational education. However, the major provider of vocational training is the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) system. This system is funded by the government and aims at providing skilled training to students in a variety of occupations. An important reason of choosing a TAFE Program is to gain access to any Australian University. Do not lose hope if you have not qualified into any university. Enroll yourself into any Diploma Program under TAFE and then see your way into any of the Australian Universities.

POST-GRADUATION:
After completing Under-graduation, you can pursue your studies by opting for any course available in the Post-Graduation level. At this level also, various options are available like Post-graduate Diploma, Masters Degree by either Research or by Coursework, Masters Qualifying degree and finally the PhD Degree.

I hope the above information provides you with a basic outline of the various educational options available in Australia. This might not be the ultimate source of knowledge but would definitely prepare you for the mighty task of selecting the right option that suits your interests best.

Go ahead and make the right choice of studying in Australia!

Brought to you by the Australian Immigration Experts at Synch1