The Student visa, subclass 500

Almost every full-time international student applies for the same visa: the Student visa, subclass 500. It covers university degrees, vocational training, English-language courses, and school exchange programs. You need a Confirmation of Enrolment from your education provider before you can lodge the visa application.

The visa lets you stay in Australia “for the duration of your course (maximum five years) and travel in and out of Australia,” according to Study Australia, the Australian Government’s official information service for international students.

From 1 July 2026, the base application fee is AUD 2,500 per application, up from AUD 2,000, “unless you are exempt.” Concessions keep the previous charge, plus an annual cost-of-living adjustment, for primary applicants from ASEAN member countries and for a separate list of Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste. Prices are stated as correct at July 2026 and can change, so check the current fee before you budget.

The Genuine Student requirement

Since 23 March 2024, every Student visa applicant has had to satisfy the Genuine Student requirement, which replaced the older Genuine Temporary Entrant test. The Department of Home Affairs states that applicants must “be a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student” and must “be able to demonstrate an understanding that studying in Australia is the primary reason for applying for a student visa.”

In practice, this means answering short written prompts inside the application form itself: your ties to home, why you chose this course and provider, and how the qualification will benefit you. Home Affairs sets “a text limit of 150 words per response” and asks you to attach supporting evidence, such as transcripts and proof of your circumstances at home, rather than a separate personal statement. Statements backed by documents carry more weight in the assessment than unsupported ones.

How much money you need to show

Home Affairs requires most applicants to prove they can cover travel, tuition, and living costs before granting a visa, and the living-cost figure is reviewed periodically. We could not confirm the current figure ourselves: the Study Australia page that previously stated it has since been taken down, and we were unable to locate a live replacement on an Australian Government page as of this check. Third-party visa-agent sites report a range of figures, none of which we could verify against a primary source, so none are printed here. Check the current amount through the Department of Home Affairs’ Document Checklist Tool before you budget, since this is exactly the kind of number that changes on its own schedule and would go stale quickly in an article rather than a live tool.

Tuition itself is even harder to pin down with one number. Study Australia’s own guidance is blunt about this: your cost will “depend on” your education provider, your level of study, and where in Australia you study. There is no single official average fee across the country. Use the Study Australia course search tool to check the fee for your specific program instead of trusting a rounded figure from a comparison site.

Work rights and health cover

Student visa holders can work up to 48 hours a fortnight while their course is in session. Home Affairs applies this limit “during study terms and semesters, including when exams are being held” and also before the course starts, unless another visa already permits earlier work. Once your course is on a scheduled break, the cap lifts and you can work unlimited hours. If you are enrolled in a Master’s by Research or a Doctoral degree, the 48-hour cap stops applying once your course has started.

You are also required to hold Overseas Student Health Cover for your entire stay. The compulsory basic plan “will usually cover visits to the doctor (GP), some hospital treatments, ambulance, and limited pharmaceuticals,” but it does not cover “treatments such as dental, optical or physiotherapy.” A short list of registered insurers sell this cover, and Study Australia recommends comparing plans and prices directly with those insurers rather than through a general comparison site.

Government-funded scholarships

Australia’s national scholarship offer is narrower than some countries’, and it leans toward students from specific partner countries rather than open global competitions. The flagship is the Australia Awards Scholarships program, which Study Australia describes as “highly prestigious and competitive,” offering “government-funded grants to students from a selection of developing countries who can show leadership qualities and a drive for change.” Eligibility runs by country, so check the current list of participating countries on the Australia Awards site before assuming you qualify, and do not treat this as a guaranteed full-funding award until you have read the specific entitlements for your country there.

A second government scheme, Australia for ASEAN Scholarships, funds students “from ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste” to pursue a master’s degree. If your research sits at doctoral or research-master’s level, the Australian Government’s Research Training Program “supports domestic and international students undertaking research doctorate and research masters level degrees,” funded through individual universities rather than a single central application.

Beyond the national schemes, most funding comes from individual universities, and in some cases from state or territory programs. None of this adds up to blanket free tuition. Budget on the assumption that you will pay most or all of your own fees unless a specific award names your country and course as eligible.

After you graduate

If you finish an eligible degree, the Temporary Graduate visa, subclass 485, is the main route to stay on and work afterward. To apply, you must “be aged 35 years or under when you apply (exceptions apply)” and must “have held a Student visa in the last 6 months.” Under the Post-Higher Education Work stream, most degree holders can stay “usually between 2 and 3 years, depending on [their] qualification,” with the right to work unrestricted hours in any sector. Graduates of regional campuses may qualify for a longer stay under a separate stream.

This visa’s application charge moved with the Student visa’s: from AUD 4,600 to AUD 5,750 from 1 July 2026, with the same Pacific Island and Timor-Leste concession carrying over. Both fee changes are confirmed on the same Study Australia news page; check it directly, since fees on both visas change on their own schedule and may already have moved again by the time you read this.

Before you apply

Confirm three things before you commit: the current visa application fee, the current minimum savings figure Home Affairs expects you to show, and the actual tuition fee for your specific course, not a national average. All three change on their own schedules, and none of them are things a general study-abroad article can reliably keep current for you.

If you are weighing Australia against another destination, Studying in the UK: Funding, Visas, and How the Money Works walks through the equivalent system there. If your undergraduate or postgraduate degree was taught in a language other than English, IELTS or TOEFL: Which Should You Take for a Scholarship? covers how to plan for the English test most Student visa applications also rely on. And if a scholarship will not cover your full costs, which is the likely outcome for most applicants to Australia, Funding Routes That Are Not Scholarships lays out the loans, assistantships, and sponsorship options that fill the gap.