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Education in Australia

Qualifications

Junior/ Senior School

There are two types of schools in Australia, government schools and private schools. Government schools are monitored by the government. Homestay will be arranged to international students. Some private schools have student residence. Senior school are from Year 7 to Year 12 in most schools, but it is Year 8 – 12 in schools located in Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Southern Australia. After completing Year 12, students need to attend a public examination. The result of this exam will determine whether the student can enter university or not. There are 4 terms each year, school starts in every January, April, July and October.

Private College

Colleges normally offer certificate, diploma and foundation programmes.

There are three terms in college; term starts every February, June and October. Certificate programmes lasts for 14-18 weeks, while diploma lasts for 28-48 weeks. Most colleges are affiliated with some local universities. Upon completion of diploma programmes, students are allowed to enter the first or second year of a degree programme in an affiliated university.

Foundation programmes in Australia are designed especially for international students. It lasts for 6-12 months. It can be viewed as an ideal path for students who want to get into university since students are not required to take public exam. Students will have guaranteed place in university once they attain a certain level of result.

TAFE Institutions

TAFE (Technical and Further Education) institutions are owned, operated and funded by the Australia state and territories governments. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of vocation tertiary education courses, such as certificates, diplomas and higher diplomas. Upon completion of a diploma programme, students can apply for university. It allows students to get a bachelor degree in 3 to 3.5 years.

University

There are 56 universities in Australia (54 owned by government and 2 are private). A bachelor degree usually takes 3 years; some subjects like Medicine, Nursing or Law may take up to 4 years or more. In general, the entry requirements for Hong Kong students are F.7 graduates. Most universities offer internationally recognised Master and PhD programmes. There are two semesters in a year, starting every February and July.

Differences between Senior School, Foundation and TAFE

	Senior School	Foundation	TAFE Institutes
Age limit	14-20	19 or below, and only suitable for International students with F.5 or equivalent qualification	16 or above, and mature students
Characteristics	It offers academic courses like Arts, Science, and Commerce. Besides academic performances, schools also pay attention to students’ all-round developmentOffer a wide range of programmes like universities. International students are required to take in-school exams. They will have guaranteed place in affiliated universities if they attain a certain result. Such qualification is recognised in Australia and New Zealand.	Offer a wide range of programmes like universities. International students are required to take in-school exams. They will have guaranteed place in affiliated universities if they attain a certain result.Such qualification is recognised in Australia and New Zealand.	It offers internationally recognised vocational training qualifications. Upon completion of the diploma programmes, students will get direct entry to second year of bachelor degree programmes.
Tuition fee (per annum)	About AU$9,500 - 20,000	About AU$15,000 - 21,000	About AU$9,500 - 18,000
Accommodation	Student Residence / Homestay	Student Residence / Homestay	Homestay/ Rental apartment
Teacher : Student	1 : 20-30	1 : 15-20	1 : 15-20