Universities in Australia have set multiple records across the world as being some of the top educational institutions in the world while also being highly affordable to international students.
According to the Statista.com report for 2020, more than 686,100 thousand international students have been enrolled in higher education across Australia.
In this blog, we will discuss the cheapest university in Australia (primarily the most affordable university in Sydney and the cheapest university in Melbourne).
Further, a list of the cheapest courses for international students in Australia will help you determine which courses you can choose.
If you are looking for a cheap course in Sydney and a cheap course in Melbourne, read this article until the end.
Best Universities in Australia for International Students
Some of the best universities in Australia for international students are also some of the most affordable. Listed below are some of the cheapest universities in Australia. It includes Australian Catholic University, which is the cheapest university in Sydney. Other cheap universities in Sydney include-
- Southern Cross University
- Western Sydney University
- University Of Sydney
- University Of New South Whales
The cheapest university in Melbourne is the University of Divinity, while other cheapest university in Australia, particularly in Melbourne, includes-
- University Of Melbourne
- Swinburn University Of Technology
- Victoria University
- RMIT University
These institutes have the cheapest courses for international students in Australia, but it’s better not to go for the courses according to their fees. Instead, look for their career aspects and demands.
You can also check the article on Entrepreneur visas in Australia.
Top 10 Affordable Universities in Australia for International Students
Most Australian best universities are also categorized as student cheapest universities in Australia. According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, 7 out of 100 top universities in Australia are regarded as the best universities in the world. The fee structure of these universities varies according to their universities’ criteria and courses.
Affordable Universities in Sydney:
1. Australian Catholic University
Location: Ballarat, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (Blacktown, North Sydney, Strathfield), plus a Leadership Centre in Adelaide and another in Townsville. These are just a few of ACU’s seven campuses across Australia.
About the institution: ACU is one of the leading universities in Australia, with the bonus of being the cheapest university in Australia! It was inaugurated in 1991. It also has one campus in Rome and now offers specially designed online courses. They have the flexibility of providing scholarships as well.
Related: 6 Scholarships for Asian Students in Australia
Key Courses: One of the top 150 institutes of Psychology. Ranked 1st in Australia and 26th worldwide in theology, divinity, and religious studies. It is one of the best universities for law.
QS Rank: It has ranked 801 on the QS ranking of 2022.
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: It is the cheapest university in Australia, and its tuition fee starts from AUD 24,824.
2. Southern Cross University
Location: It’s a multi-campus university located in Old Coast, in southeast Queensland, adjacent to the Gold Coast Airport; Lismore, in northern New South Wales; and Coffs Harbour on the northern NSW coast.
About the institution: To date, SCU has fostered around 66,000 alumni with great success and is one of the best universities in Australia for international students. It is also the cheapest university in Sydney.
Key Courses: This university offers cheap courses in Sydney, which include Bachelor’s in Business, Law, Architecture, Information Technology, Musical and Creative Arts, Science, and Environment Studies.
QS Rank: It has ranked between 701-750 in the QS ranking across the world.
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: SCU, which is one of the cheapest universities in Sydney, starts from AUD 29,360.
3. Western Sydney University
Location: Main campus in the Greater Western region of Sydney, Australia, with multiple campuses in other cities.
About the institution: WSU has ranked in the top 2% of universities, which speaks of its success while also being a cheap university in Sydney. It was opened in the year 1989. In addition, 20% of all students ever enrolled in WSU are international. These combined make WSU one of the best universities in Australia for international students.
Key Courses: Key courses at WSU, which are also some of the cheapest courses in Sydney, include Business, Computing, Education, Law, Medicine, Nursing & Midwifery, Social Science & Psychology, Science & Health, and Humanities.
QS Rank: It has ranked between 501-510 in the QS ranking of 2022
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: It’s a very cheap Sydney university with a starting tuition fee of AUD 26,000 annually.
4. University of Sydney
Location: Camperdown NSW 2006, Australia
About the institution: The University of Sydney has been established for the past 170 years and has managed to be one of the best and cheapest universities in Sydney.
Key Courses: Courses at the University of Sydney include Medicine, Oncology, Arts and Humanities, Nursing, and Master of Management.
QS Rank: It has ranked # 1 in Australia and 4th worldwide for graduate employability.
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: Starting from 42,000 AUD
5. University of New South Wales
Location: Sydney NSW 2052, Australia
About the institution: It is one of the cheapest universities in Sydney, with many alumni working in various reputed sectors. Moreover, the best research faculty in Australia is at UNSW.
Key Courses: The key courses at UNSW include Engineering, Art, and Architecture. It is best known for its business school and engineering courses. The UNSW has very cheap courses in Sydney.
QS Rank: Despite being a cheap university in Sydney, UNSW has ranked # 45 in QS ranking across the world.
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: Starting from 32,920 AUD
Affordable Universities In Melbourne
6. University of Divinity
Location: Located in Kew, a Melbourne suburb in the Australian state of Victoria.
About the institution: The University of Divinity was established in the year 1910 and is the cheapest university in Melbourne. It prepares its graduates to flourish in Business, Law, Establishment, and Governance. With a brilliant faculty, it is one of the best universities in Australia for international students and the cheapest university in Australia.
Key Courses: the University of Divinity is popular for its expertise in Theology, Philosophy, and Spirituality.
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: Starting from 14,112 AUD
Affordable Universities in Other Areas of Australia
7. University of Melbourne
Location: The main campus is the Parkville campus located in Central Melbourne, Australia.
About the institution: The University of Melbourne is Australia’s leading university and has claimed the Number One University in Australia rank and is Ranked 8th in employability worldwide.
Key Courses: This university offers some of the cheapest courses in Melbourne, including Law, Psychology, Engineering, Medicine, and Business.
QS Rank: The University of Melbourne has successfully managed to be ranked # 33 in the QS ranking while being a cheap university in Australia.
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: Starting from 31,000 AUD
8. Swinburn University of Technology
Location: They have campuses in Sarawak, Malaysia, and three campuses in Melbourne, which are in Hawthorn, Croydon, and Wantirna.
About the institution: It celebrated its 30th birthday in 2022. Together with Partners like Amazon services, they have established a really good cloud innovation while being the cheapest university in Australia.
Key Courses: The Swinburn University of Technology is offering
Health courses, Engineering courses, Banking courses, and Information Technology courses.
QS Rank: This cheap university in Melbourne ranked # 296 in the QS World University ranking, which is a great hit.
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: Its tuition fee starts from 32,896 AUD annually
9. Victoria University
Location: It is situated in the heart of Melbourne and Melbourne’s cosmopolitan western suburbs.
About the institution: Victoria University is one of the six universities in Australia that offers TAFE and Higher Education. Providing a wonderful education for 100 years, Victoria University is one of the cheapest universities in Melbourne to teach students.
Key courses: VU offers Health and Biomedical Courses, Computer and IT programs, and Law, Sports, and Exercise courses.
QS Rank: Ranked between 701-750 in the QS ranking.
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: Starting from AUD 25,600 and ranges according to the courses.
10. RMIT University
Location: Two campuses are located in Melbourne’s northern districts of Bundoora and Brunswick, while the main campus is on the northern border of the city’s ancient Hoddle Grid.
About the institution: It began as a public university in 1992. It has acquired significant importance while being the best and cheapest university in Melbourne. In addition, RMIT University has the cheapest courses for international students in Australia.
Key Courses: RMIT University is known for its Art and Design courses. It also offers Aviation courses, Building, Biomedical Sciences, Fashion, Environment, Engineering, etc.
QS Rank: It was ranked no.15th in the world for Art and Design subjects.
Average Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: The starting tuition fee is 36,479 AUD
Affordable Courses for International Students in Australia
Affordable Courses in Sydney
1. Diploma in Business (1 year)
Location: Sydney
University: Australian Catholic University
Career Prospect: You can serve as an Administrator, Supervisor, Receptionist, Call Care Service, and Cell assistant. It is indeed one of the most demandable and cheapest courses for international students in Australia.
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: $12,468
2. Diploma of Hotel Management (2 years)
Location: Sydney
University: Southern Cross University
Career Prospect: It is one of those courses most beneficial for international students. It’s also a cheap course in Sydney with good career prospects like Hotel Management, Chef, Catering Management, Event Management, and Guest Management.
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: $2,950 per 12CP unit
3. Graduate Certificate In Public Health (1 year)
Location: Sydney
University: The University of New South Whales
Career Prospect: It is a cheap course in Sydney and has a great career prospect.
You can go to Public or Government institutions, Non-governmental organizations, Local area Health Services, or Mental health services.
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: $4,540*
Affordable Courses in Melbourne
4. Diploma of Leadership and Management (1 year)
Location: Melbourne
University: RMIT in Melbourne
Career Prospect: This course is preferable if you are looking for a management position. It will help you manage, organize, and monitor work. This course is also significant for enhancing leadership qualities and is one of the cheapest courses for international students in Australia.
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: 7,250* AUD
5. Diploma in Art and Design (1-2 years)
Location: Melbourne
University: Monash University
Career Prospect: This is one of Melbourne’s very interesting and cheap courses. You can go for illustration, printing, designing, textile, Furniture, and interior designing.
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: fees for part 1 are 25,920.00 AUD, and for part 2 is 28,860.00 AUD
6. Diploma in project management (1-2 years)
Location: Footscray Park, Victoria University, Melbourne.
University: Victoria University
Career Prospect: It is one of the cheapest courses for international students in Australia. After the diploma, you can pursue the line in Administration, Finance, Management, Business, and construction. It’s a very cheap course in Melbourne but very beneficial.
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: 32,200 AUD
Affordable Courses in other areas of Australia
7. Diploma of HR Management (12-24 months)
Location: Based in central Queensland, Australia
University: CQ University
Career Prospect: It is the cheapest course for international students in Australia and may lead you to become a
Consultant in human resources, advisor in human resources, coordinator in human resources, manager in human resources, team leader in payroll, or manager in payroll
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: 8,376 AUD
8. Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (12 months)
Location: Melbourne
University: Swinburn University of Technology
Career Prospect: Daycares like long day care, kindergartens, occasional care, and outdoor care. It is one of the cheapest courses for international students in Australia.
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: 16,221 AUD
9. Diploma of Counselling (1- 1.5 years)
Location: Four campuses situated in Melbourne, Geelong, and Warrnambool
University: Deakin University
Career Prospect: Drug and alcohol counselors, Youth counselors, Student counselors, Suicide and grief counselors, Family and marriage counselors.
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: 26,800 AUD
10. Diploma in Commercial Cookery
Location: Footscray Nicholson, Victoria University, Melbourne.
University: Victoria University
Career Prospect: Food hygiene, food safety, quality control, Menu planning, stock control. It’s a very cheap course in Melbourne and highly demandable.
Tuition Fees per Year for International Students: 12,900 AUD
Related Articles:
Conclusion
Those mentioned above are the cheapest universities in Australia but the best ones so far. Therefore, carefully go through each of them and find out the cheapest courses for international students in Australia and the best universities in Australia for international students. You can also check the article on how to get a Permanent visa in Australia. This will provide a detailed explanation of further action that needs to be considered.
If you want a clearer and better understanding, you can contact the Immigration and Education Services (IES) Portal. They have qualified agents who will explain everything clearly and smoothly and handle your process.
DISCLAIMER: Please note that the information provided on the IES Portal website is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional advice. We make every effort to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the content, but immigration laws and regulations may change. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the complete reliability or accuracy of the information presented. The content on our website is not legal or immigration advice and should be used at your own risk. We strongly advise consulting with licensed professionals before making any decisions based on the information found here. Additionally, we do not endorse any third-party organisations, services, or products mentioned on this site unless explicitly stated otherwise. By using our website, you agree to our disclaimer and its terms.