Australian Catholic University
International students
General admission requirements
As an international student completing one of the following qualifications in 2024, you will apply for admission through UAC and will generally be selected on the basis of your performance in these studies (ie your ATAR or equivalent):
- an Australian Year 12 qualification (either outside or in Australia)
- an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
- a New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 3.
ACU may take any or all of your qualifications or attempts at study into account.
International applicants applying for admission on the basis of qualifications other than those listed above must apply directly to ACU, not through UAC.
Fees
ACU tuition fees for international students are available on the UAC course search. Students should check the individual course descriptions for any additional items that may need to be purchased.
Fees are reviewed annually and also cover:
- support from international student advisers
- orientation program
- access to all student services and facilities that are available to local students
- study skills assistance.
ACU tuition fees are comparable with those of other Australian universities and may increase by up to three per cent per year for the minimum duration of the course. No guarantee is made for tuition fee increases beyond the minimum duration.
For information regarding our international fee refund policy, visit the ACU website.
Students are also required to pay a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). The SSAFs for 2024 are:
- full-time students – $175 per half year ($350 annually)
- part-time students – $131 per half year ($262 annually).
Your stay in Australia
It is a requirement of the Department of Home Affairs that prospective international students can demonstrate they have sufficient funds while living in Australia.
Living costs include items such as:
- accommodation (including rental bond)
- electricity and/or gas
- entertainment
- food
- personal and household items
- telephone and internet bills
- transport (bus/train/tram/ferry).
During your stay in Australia you are permitted to work for up to 48 hours per fortnight during teaching periods, and unlimited hours outside teaching periods.
Certain categories of voluntary, unpaid work are included in this total, whilst work undertaken as part of your course is not included. You should not rely on working to fund your tuition or living expenses while in Australia as work cannot be guaranteed and spending excessive amounts of time working may adversely affect your studies.
Before you are granted a student visa, the Australian Government must be satisfied that you have appropriate accommodation, support and general welfare arrangements in place for the period that you will be under 18 years of age while in Australia. ACU does not accept responsibility for welfare arrangements for international students who are under 18 years of age except in Foundation Studies.
Travelling to a foreign country to study can be a challenge. To make your daily life at ACU as easy as possible, we provide many services to help you achieve your personal, academic and career goals, including:
- international student advisers
- a career development and employment service
- counselling services
- academic skills advisers
- disability services
- campus ministry.
Overseas student health cover (OSHC) is a compulsory health insurance for international students to help you with the costs of medical and hospital care you may require while you are in Australia.
It is important to know that OSHC does not cover all medical bills. It does not cover pre-existing medical conditions for the first 12 months of your policy, optical, dentistry or the majority of injections/inoculations.
Our preferred provider is Medibank Private.
You can pay the OSHC fee when you pay your tuition deposit.
The Australian Government requires all international students on a student visa and their dependants to purchase an approved policy from an Australian registered health fund for the duration of their visas. OSHC is not included in tuition fees.
Sponsored international students are those who receive financial support for their study and/or other agreed educational expenses from sources other than their own funds.
To be recognised by an institution as a sponsored student, you must be funded under an agreement with a sponsoring authority recognised by the institution.
To find out more, contact ACU.
General information for Australian Catholic University
Location
AskACU Centre
223 Antill Street, Watson ACT 2602
PO Box 256, Dickson ACT 2602