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Education System in Australia

By September 20, 2021December 31st, 2025No Comments

Education System in Australia

Students in Australia are provided support to study collaboratively, learn new skills of problem-solving, communication, and conduct extensive research using innovative ideas.

Regardless of the level of study you are going to pursue, rest assured that you will be able to achieve your dream goals with an Australian education.

As an international student, you can study from the age of 6 on a student visa in Australia, albeit parents make appropriate welfare arrangements. So it is important to understand each and every level of the education system in Australia.

Primarily, the Australian education system is divided into 3 main categories:

  1.  Primary Education

Kindergarten to Year 6

Age – 2 to 12 years

Kindergarten and Early childhood a one to two-year programs which help young kids learn before they go to school. Although it is not compulsory to attend, young kids can develop social, physical and mental skills during these programs.

Primary school for most kids in Australia starts at the age of 4 to 5, and attending school is compulsory in Australia till the age of 15 to 17, depending on the state and territory. There are lots of public  (government-funded) and private schools available for the students. The curriculum in the schools is usually set by the government, and everyone needs to follow this curriculum.

  1.  Secondary/ Senior Secondary Education 

Year 7 to Year 12

Age – 12 to 18 years

Secondary and Senior Secondary education usually runs for 5 to 7 years, depending on the state or territory students are living in. The secondary school runs from Year 7 to Year 10, while Senior Secondary runs from Year 11 to Year 12.

All schools will need to follow the guidelines/curriculum given by the government in their state and territory. However, the curriculum does provide flexibility in regards to the syllabus being covered.

After completing Year 12 successfully, students will get a certificate, which is known as the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education. Some students will decide to study vocational education and so will go on to university after completing Year 12.

  1. Tertiary Education

Tertiary education in Australia includes vocational education and training and university.

Vocational Education and Training

Certificate I to Advanced Diploma

Age – 18+ years

Students who would like to get hands-on training and would prefer vocational training over university will either study at TAFE or private education providers. This includes:

  • Certificates I to IV
  • Diploma,
  • Advanced Diploma

While the timeframe for completing each certificate (I to IV) ranges from 3 months to 12 months, the Diploma and Advanced Diploma can be completed from 6 months to 2 years.

These courses can provide students with a pathway to university or help them directly enter the workforce. There is a range of vocational courses students can choose to study. Some of them are:

  • Agriculture
  • Business
  • Childcare
  • Construction
  • Hospitality
  • Information Technology
  • Manufacturing
  • Mining
  • Retail

University

Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree and PhD

Ages – 18+ years

University is the highest level of education in Australia. There are 43 universities in Australia, out of which 40 are public universities and the rest are private. Universities usually offer various programs that provide professional knowledge to the students.

There are three main levels of education at the University:

  • Undergraduate (Bachelor’s Degrees)
  • Postgraduate (Master’s Degree)
  • Doctoral (PhD Degree)

Students who have completed Year 12 or equivalent in their home country can be admitted to the Undergraduate program as long as they meet the minimum admission requirements (e.g. English Language Tests).

Students can enrol on Postgraduate programs after completing an undergraduate program from a university in Australia or from the country they are applying from.

To be eligible for doctoral programs, students must have completed a minimum of a Master’s Degree with high grades, or a Master’s Degree by research, or a Bachelor’s Degree with honours, demonstrating high grades.

While students can complete a Bachelor’s Degree within 3 to 4 years, a Master’s Degree within 1 to 2 years and a PhD within 1 to 2 years.

Pathway Programs

Many international students can’t get into university directly due to not meeting the minimum requirements of the undergraduate programs of the university.

So Pathway Programs, also known as Foundation Courses, are offered to support and assist those students and to prepare them to succeed in university.

These courses usually run for 1 year, and on successful completion of these courses, most of the students will get a place in the university. The timeframe of the course and getting a place in university can vary based on the individual student’s situation.

English Programs

Australia prides itself on the quality of its English programs run through various private institutes, TAFEs and universities.

If the students’ English is limited, then they could be advised to take an English course before the start of the formal study. This course is formally known as ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students)

These courses can run from 1 week to 72 weeks, depending on the student’s English level. Students are required to meet the strict attendance requirement of 20 hours per week, or they risk having their visa cancelled.

There are 4 main types of ELICOS courses international students can undertake in Australia:

  1. General English – Designed to improve general English skills.
  2. English for Academic Purposes (EAP) – Designed to prepare students for further studies.
  3. English for Specific Purposes (ESP) – Designed to improve the English in a specific field or area.
  4. Exam Preparation – Designed to prepare students to undertake globally recognised tests like IELTS, Cambridge Certification, etc.
Australian Qualifications Framework

Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a policy that was designed in 1995 for regulated qualifications in the Australian education and training industry.

The purpose of AQF is to define the level of each qualification delivered in Australia and create a national standardised system where students have a clear pathway to follow as one qualification level leads to the next level.

Regardless of which college, TAFE or university students choose in Australia, there will be no difference between the education levels and the qualification titles. All students completing nationally recognised qualifications must have a Unique Student Identifier (USI).

The 10 levels of the Australian Qualifications Framework are:

  1. Certificate I
  2. Certificate II
  3. Certificate III
  4. Certificate IV
  5. Diploma
  6. Advanced Diploma/ Associate Degree
  7. Bachelor Degree
  8. Bachelor with Honours/ Graduate Certificate/ Graduate Diploma
  9. Master Degree
  10. Doctoral Degree
Grading System

Each level of study has its own grading system. It is also interesting to know that every state, territory, institute and university can have their own grading systems.

While most of the schools, TAFE and universities have a grading system along with the percentage, where students are awarded a grade based on their performance. Most of the vocational education system in Australia is based on competency rather than grades.

If you would like to see how the grading system works at various levels in Australia, we have a complete guide on it. Check it out here.

Reference

Article title:
Education system in Australia for International Students | Study in Australia
Website title:
Study in Australia – Information Website for International Students – Overseas Students Australia
URL:
https://overseasstudentsaustralia.com/education-system/