College Admission Procedures

The admission procedures for international students to pursue studies in Australia are similar to the western educational systems of UK or USA. Australian educational institutions are friendly to students' cultural and religious needs. They also provide strong support and monitoring services to help them deal with settling into the new environment. Here are some things you need to know to take admission in an Australian institute:

• Eligibility conditions for undergraduate admissions: Along with the secondary school education certifications, most courses and universities in Australia require international students to take IELTS (a standardized entrance test) to get admission. IELTS is governed by British council and conducted on regular basis all over the world. Some universities may accept TOEFL score also. IELTS is compulsory for Australian Student visa for students from particular countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The personal application essays and/or statement of purpose SOP play a very significant role in the process of evaluating student's application for both admission as well as financial aid.
• Eligibility conditions for post-graduate admissions: Most of the Australian universities and higher institutes acknowledge the graduation system of three years for entry into most postgraduate courses. But, some of the courses and universities may require a qualification equivalent to Australian Bachelor-Honors degree, which requires either a honors graduation degree with 16 years of formal education, which would mean another year after graduation or a four year degree course like Engineering degree courses and other such courses.

Complete details of your education including your course subjects and grades are required in the applications. Official records of previous academic qualifications of students are important for your application procedures. Students applying for admission are required to submit an official transcript from each college or university that they have attended after secondary school with complete details of the subjects, credits involved and other details like correspondence courses and diplomas. English Proficiency tests like IELTS and/or TOEFL score are required for International students to get postgraduate admission in the Australian universities. For management postgraduate courses, International students are required to take Graduate Management Admission Test, GMAT.

• Past work record: A number of professional and vocational courses require relevant work experience. For example, many MBAs or master's courses in information studies require at least a couple of years' work experience. Most Australian universities are stiff about this condition. A complete Résumé is an important part of your application. It should include all information about professional work experience along with the details like positions held, achievements and range of work. Some Universities may put aside IELTS/TOEFL, if overseas students can get a 'letter of recommendation' from the past institution(s) that they have last studied in, mentioning that they have been studying in English medium throughout and they are convinced that you are proficient in English.
• Statement of Purpose: The personal application essays or statement of purpose (SOP) play a very important role in the process of evaluating your application for both admission as well as financial aid. These essays give better information to the admission officials to assess your individuality. A personal statement or SOP generally include reasons for choosing this particular course, area of interest of the student, the suitability of student's education and experiential background for the targeted course. It may also include student's goals in life, his or her hobbies and other related details.
• Students who apply for Doctoral research programs must give the details of their previous research related publications, abstracts and all related papers.

For admissions in Australia, student-visa and a valid passport are 'must-to-have' factors for international students. Students are advised to start the procedures of getting visa al least eight weeks before the commencement of programs.