Rural & Regional Scholarships for International Students

Did you know the industry of International education delivers $32 billion every year in the Australian economy?

Australia is one of the favourite destination choices for students who have the desire to achieve a top-quality education to meet global standards. The land down under has been synonymous with International education for decades.

Many International students from China, Nepal, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, and other countries are keen to study in the best Australian universities.

The number of International students studying in Australia has increased by 12% as compared to last year 2018. Out of all students, 31% are Chinese students studying in Australia.

1. Scholarships provided by the Federal Government

Tertiary courses in Australia are not cheap. The Federal Government has recently recognised this and finally started to provide scholarships to honour students' commitment to their studies.

While some scholarships cover living expenses or tuition fee waivers, others are fully-funded and cover both living expenses and tuition fees. There are also some scholarships that include book allowances, insurance, travel costs, and everything a student needs to study abroad.

The Federal Government has opened the door of top Universities in Australia for talented and skilled migrants to equip their rural areas with quality resources.

With more than 47,000 job openings in different regions of Australia, this initiative by the government enables International students to work, study and live in Australia.

The scholarship covers return air travel, establishment allowances, the full tuition fees, the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), a contribution to living expenses (CLE), Pre-course English (PCE), Introductory Academic Program (IAP) and more.

In short, the scholarship gives students an excellent growth opportunity to shape up their careers while enjoying a unique lifestyle.

2. Who is Eligible?

Students from the participating countries in Africa, The Middle East and Asia can apply for the regional scholarships in Australia.

3. Latest Initiative by Government

Recently, the Australian government has initiated New Regional Visas and New Tertiary Scholarships for International Students:

New Regional Visas

• The Australian Government has introduced two new regional visas with 23,000 places allocated to potential skilled migrant workers.

• The new regional Visa holders have to live and work in regional Australia for about 3 years (formerly it was two years) before applying for permanent residency (PR).

• The migrants who have been living and working in Australia on this visa will not only be given the access to priority visa processing, but they’ll also be eligible for a wide range of jobs and occupations.

New Tertiary Scholarships

• Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison recently unveiled a new government population policy. This policy reveals that 1000 scholarships worth each $15,000 annually will be given to International students.

• He also said that this move is an endeavour to capitalise on the strong international student market in Australia.

• The number of scholarships provided by The Australian Universities and Federal Government is to attract domestic as well as international students and workers in different regional areas of the country.

• The main aim behind these initiatives is to uplift the country’s position in the educational market. However, these scholarships will be given to students who choose to study at regional universities across the country.

4. One year is granted to Temporary Graduate Visa holders

If you are an international student who decides to study at a regional universitiy in Australia under the new scholarship program, you will have access to an additional year on your Temporary Graduate Visa.

This means as an undergraduate, the total length of the Temporaty Graduate Visa 485 will be three years and five years for PhD students.

These visa-offers will not affect current visa holders. Moreover, visa applications lodged prior to November 2019 will be processed as per usual. According to the Department of Home Affairs, there will be no impact on current visa holders and permanent residents.

Note: The Government of Australia defines all areas of Australia as ‘Regional,’ except Melbourne, Newcastle, Wollongong, Perth, Sydney, the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Melbourne metropolitan area.

The main focus of the country is to provide a high education standard to attract students from all over the world. However, students are needed to leave Australia, after completing their studies, else they will incur a debt for the total cost of their scholarship

Useful links to Explore:

• How to get a scholarship in Australia for university 
• Australian Government Scholarship scheme
• Australian Universities Scholarship Table 
• New rural and regional scholarships in Australia 
• 7 Tips for Students on a budget in Australia 
• How to find part-time work as a student in Australia 
• What does it cost to study in Australia?
• Academic Life in Australia
• Student Accommodation Options