AUSTRALIA DOORS OPEN FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS

Australia's 39 universities are preparing for a brand new day in 2012: not only will government quotas on the number of local students they enrol be lifted, but they will also be able to recruit as many foreigners as they wish as a result of a new fast-track visa system.

In an unexpectedly generous move that surprised even sceptical vice-chancellors, the federal government decided to lift most restrictions on the issuing of student visas to overseas students applying for a university place, opening the way for a likely flood of new applications from China, India, Pakistan and other Asian countries.

Universities that agree to meet certain requirements regarding the students they admit will also have access to a new streamlined system that will speed up visa processing.

AUSTRALIA AS AN ACADEMIC DESTINATION

AUSTRALIA AS AN ACADEMIC DESTINATION


The six states and two territories of Australia are responsible for providing higher education to their residents, but the federal government pays about 40 percent of the costs. In 2007 nearly one-million students were enrolled in the country’s 42 public and two private universities. 

Most students pay a portion of their tuition. The amount they pay is determined by the cost of instruction and their likely future earnings. 

The country offers six post secondary degrees: the diploma, advanced diploma, bachelor’s degree, graduate certificate/graduate diploma, master’s degree, and doctoral degree. The diploma and advanced diploma require two and three years of study, respectively. The bachelor’s degree requires three or four years; additional study of up to one year can result in a graduate certificate /graduate diploma. The master’s and doctoral degrees require an additional two and three years, respectively. 
  
The education ministry intends by 2012 to give a national agency the power to regulate accreditation and auditing of education providers. 

For further details about admission services contact us on info@sourcesint.com 

Australia Approves TOEFL® Test Scores for Student Visas

Princeton, N.J. (May 19, 2011) —Students from around the world who wish to study in Australia can now use their TOEFL® test scores as part of their visa application as announced by Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). "I am very pleased the TOEFL test has been chosen as one of the new English test providers and I am confident they will provide a valuable service to student visa applicants," said the Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.

This announcement has significant meaning for large numbers of international students from Assessment Level 3 and 4 countries, including China, India,Pakistan, Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Philippines, who are interested in studying in Australia. International students now have the opportunity to use the TOEFL test to demonstrate their English language proficiency, satisfying the required language component of the visa application process.

"Nearly every university and college in Australia already accepts TOEFL scores for admission purposes. Today's announcement means that students globally can now use their TOEFL scores for both visa and academic admission purposes," explains David Hunt, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ETS's Global Division.


For more than 45 years, the TOEFL test has been the most widely recognized English language assessment in the world, used by more than 8,000 colleges, universities and agencies, including the most prestigious institutions in the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. And with more than 4,500 test sites globally, the TOEFL test is more convenient than ever for students wishing to apply for study in Australia