Living Expenses in Australia – Can I Study in Australia for Free? (2024)

First things first – can you realistically study in Australia for free? The simple answer is “no” – it isn’t possible to study anywhere for free. Even with a full scholarship, it’s likely you will have to think about accommodation and visa costs, along with other expenses. However, this does not mean that a degree in Australia can’t be affordable.

There can be a lot of variation in costs, from tuition fees across different programs and universities to living expenses. With the proper research and support from experts, you can not only discover the right option for you. You can also plan out your budget for monthly living expenses, and manage your costs with part-time work and scholarship!

Tuition Fees to Study in Australia

While you can’t study in Australia for free, you can still find affordable program options for your degree. For starters, tuition fees can vary quite a lot depending on a couple of key factors.

Location

Is the university in a big metropolitan city with higher costs of living, like Sydney or Melbourne? Tuition fees tend to be higher in cities where the cost of living is higher.

University Type

Is the university a public university with funding from the Australian government, or is it a private university? Public universities may fall more on the affordable end in comparison to private universities. Many universities receive generous subsidies from the Australian government and other donors. This helps to keep the costs, including tuition, down.

Program Type

The type of program you want to study can also influence the tuition fee ranges you can expect. For example, are you planning to study a highly technical and resource-intensive program, like dentistry or veterinary science? Fees for these programs can be much higher than for less resource-intensive programs. The need for specialist facilities like labs, equipment, and other resources can bump up the tuition fees of a program.

Program Level

Your study level plays a part in your overall tuition fees, thanks to the duration of the program. Bachelor’s degrees in Australia tend to last three years, whereas Master’s programs can be a year or two long. In total, a Bachelor’s program can cost more than a Master’s program because of the duration.

Tuition Fee Ranges

With these factors in mind, what sorts of ranges can you expect to study in Australia? At the undergraduate level, yearly costs can start at around AUD 34,500 per year. For Master’s programs, the annual cost can be anywhere between AUD 26,000 to over AUD 70,000. The University of Melbourne’s Master of Leadership for Development costs AUD 6,256 per year, so don’t discount options outside these ranges! The GRADSearch course finder is a good place to start looking for programs that meet your requirements and your budget.

Affordable Tuition in Australia

More than 93% of Australia’s universities are world-ranking – and the great news is many of them are affordable, too. Some of the top universities with relatively low average tuition are:

Living Expenses in Australia

Apart from tuition and visa requirements, living expenses are a big component of your costs when studying abroad. According to visa guidelines, the minimum amount of savings you should have to cover living costs in Australia is around AUD 24,505 per year. However, living expenses vary greatly from one person to the next. It can also vary a lot depending on factors like which city you are living in.

Although you can’t study in Australia for free, understanding where your budget needs to go can help you stay within it. The cost of living for an international student mainly comprises rent, groceries, utility bills, transport, and other necessities.

Rent

Rent is usually the first and biggest concern in terms of living expenses. As an international student, you will be spending most of your monthly budget paying rent for the living space you decide to stay in.

Many Australian universities offer on-campus housing, which students usually opt for thanks to the convenience of staying close to classes and university facilities. Because of this convenience and the limits on the availability of on-campus housing, these rooms tend to be pricier than off-campus options.

Rent mainly depends on the location of your university or the city you live in. Below are some of Australia’s most affordable cities, according to QS Best Student Cities 2024. The metric considers both tuition fees and costs of living to rank these universities.

Sydney and Melbourne are the most expensive cities to live in Australia for international students, with some of the housing options charging more than $800 weekly. Note, though, that the costs here are estimates and will depend on factors like where in the city you are staying and in what type of accommodation. You can get a better idea of your living costs by using the Australian government’s official cost of living calculator, which takes your lifestyle, location, and spending patterns into consideration.

Location Within the City

An important aspect of calculating rent is where in the city you will live. Generally speaking, living in the city center is going to cost you more than living in the suburbs. Locations near universities, since they are in high demand by students, can be pricier too. You will have to decide which matters more to you – proximity to your campus or saving up on rent.

Type of Accommodation

The third and final thing to consider regarding rent is the type of accommodation. Depending on the accommodation type, some options are more affordable than others:

Food and Necessities

Food and necessities are the second largest expense category to consider in your budget. Although you can’t study in Australia for free, the cost of food is more dependent on your lifestyle and preferences. Habits like eating at home and cooking your own food can go a long way in keeping your expenses in check.

Other important necessities that contribute to your overall living expenses include:

Transport

Another important item you will need to include in your budget is the transport cost of your daily commute. You will be traveling to and from your university every day if you are living off-campus. Staying close to campus or in on-campus housing can help you manage what you spend on commutes. That is, however, not always possible.

For your daily commute, your costs will depend on the mode of transport you choose to take. Walking and cycling can definitely save you a lot of money. You can also manage your finances better by looking into public transport concessions in Australia! You might be eligible for student fares and discounts depending on the public transport plans of the different states and territories.

Scholarships in Australia

The best option to study in Australia for free is to secure a great scholarship. With a proper scholarship, you might have a shot at studying in Australia’s top universities with either full or substantial cost coverage.

You can look into two main categories of scholarships: general external scholarships and university scholarships. General scholarships carry higher value but limit the number of recipients every year, so competition is steeper. University scholarships are excellent options you should not overlook either – a significant fee discount can make all the difference in the affordability of your program.

General External Scholarships

The Australian government and other organizations offer general or external scholarships in the form of awards or certificates of excellence. If you want to study for free, consider aiming for these options. To obtain a full free studentship, you will need to have an excellent profile, excellent academic results, and extra-curricular achievements. Some scholarships may be region-specific, set aside only for students enrolling from or in specific parts of the world.

Some of the noteworthy general and external scholarships are:

University Scholarships

The most popular types of scholarships are the ones on offer by your chosen universities. Realistically, getting a 100% scholarship to study in Australia for free can involve stiff competition and a high bar for qualification. However, that does not mean that the generous scholarships and discounts universities offer international students every year don’t make a difference in affordability.

Part-Time Jobs

Working part-time is another option to help keep your expenses manageable as an international student. The Australian student visa allows you to work up to 48 hours per two weeks alongside your studies. The minimum wage in Australia amounts to around AUD 23 per hour. However, you can also aim for higher-paying part-time work. The extra income can make all the difference in keeping the pressure off your bank account.

Rounding Up

Realistically, it would be hard to study in Australia for free without spending a single penny. But an affordable higher education in Australia is totally doable within a budget. Looking into programs from more affordable universities, accounting for the living expenses where you plan to study, and budgeting carefully can help keep the pressure off your pocket. Luckily, there are also many scholarship options you can consider, alongside Australia’s generous part-time work allowances, to help you manage your expenses!