Unfortunately international students can not receive student loans or “Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)” from the Australian government to pay for their course fees in Australia. HELP is actually only available to Australian citizens, so even permanent residents in Australia or New Zealanders cannot access student loans from the Australian Government.

However there may be some other options that would allow you to remain in Australia:

International Student Scholarships

Applying for a Scholarship from the Aus Government or Private Education providers may be an option. For more info regarding scholarships for international students in Australia click here.


Student loans from your home government

Many students are fortunate enough to be able to access loans from their own government that will allow them to study in Australia. Students from the United States for example are fortunate enough to do this.

Many foreign countries however will not allow provide loans to students to study overseas. The UK for example will not grant students loans to study abroad.

You should contact the student loans department in your home country to see if you are eligible.


Exchange Program

Australian Universities are often aligned with other universities around the world. This exchange programs allows a foreign student to study at an Australian university for one or two semesters. The student would only need to continue to pay their course fees in their home country to participate on the exchange. This is a great way to get around the incredibly high cost of university education for international students in Australia.

Can international students get loans to study in Australia? was last modified: November 20th, 2014 by Nick Yock