In Australia, you will need to apply to every university separately due to the absence of a common application system. You can apply to as many universities as you wish. However, applying to a large number of universities isn’t practical due to the high costs involved.
How to apply?
To apply to a university in Australia, you will first need to go to the website of the university you wish to join. On the website, go to the international students section and select the course you wish to pursue. Once you select the course, you will see an ‘Apply’ link that will allow you to initiate the application process for that course.
You will be required to fill and submit a separate online application form for every university. To fill this form, you will have to create an account on the university website. This account will allow you to save your progress on the application form and sign out without losing the information you have entered previously. You can easily resume completing the same application form using your username and password.
The application form will require you to fill in your details including your personal information, your academic qualifications, work experience etc. You will also be required to upload certified scanned copies of your transcripts, test reports and other qualifications.
Some universities will allow you to apply for about 2 – 3 courses at their university through one application form. These course choices, known as preferences, are extremely beneficial as they can help you get an admission offer for your 2nd or 3rd preference in case you don’t gain admission for your 1st priority course.
Most universities will also require you to mention whether you would like to apply for a scholarship or not in their application form.
Deadlines
Every university has set deadlines after which it does not receive or consider applications from students. As there are no common deadlines for universities in Australia, you will have to keep a track of separate deadlines for each of the universities you wish to apply to. Keep in mind that missing out on these deadlines might result in your application not being considered.
Most Australian universities have two intakes per year, one in February and one in July. This means that you can choose to either start studying in Australia in the month of February or July. Needless to say, your application deadlines will differ on the basis of the semester intake you’re applying for.
For the February intake, which is also known as the 1st semester intake, the application deadlines for most universities are in the month of December. This means that if you’re applying to for a course starting in February 2014, then you will have to submit your application by the month of December 2013.
For the July intake, which is also known as the 2nd semester intake, the last date after which most universities do not receive applications is the 31st of May.
Keep in mind that there is no clear – cut rule when it comes to application deadlines for Australian universities. Due to the lack of a common application form, there is a great deal of variation in deadlines. For example, certain universities do not consider applications for the February semester after mid – November, whereas some accept applications till mid –January. Similarly, for the July semester, some universities do not consider applications after the end of April, whereas some accept applications till mid – June.
Documents
The decision regarding your application form in an Australian university will primarily depend on the documents that you send along with your application form. These documents serve as a proof of the academic and extra – curricular qualifications that you have mentioned in your application form.
The most important of all these documents are your academic transcripts or mark sheets. Most universities would ask you to send the mark sheets of your Class 10th and Class 11th. You would be required to send your Class 12th mark sheet as well, as and when you receive it.
Some universities might also ask for your Class 12th mid – year reports or half – yearly results along with your estimated results in the Class 12th board examinations. These estimated scores have to be calculated by an approved authority, such as a school teacher or your Principal.
Apart from your academic qualifications, you will also need to submit certificates that serve as a proof of your extra – curricular activities. If you mentioned any work experience in your application form, then you will also need to supplement that with a certificate.
For some courses, you will be required to submit additional documents such as samples of your written work, portfolios, resumes etc. Such documents are required for select courses in which your admission cannot be based solely on your academic qualifications.
For example, for a course like Bachelor’s in Fine Arts, the university might require you to send a portfolio of your sketches. This is very important as for such a course, your aptitude and ability to draw and paint matters much more than your academic qualifications.
Keep in mind that you will be required to submit ‘Certified Copies’ of all these documents while applying to most universities. This means that you would not have to submit the originals, but photo copies of these documents that are attested by a suitable authority as mentioned on the university website.
These documents can be uploaded using the online application form of the university or sent along with the application form through post.
Some universities might also require your school to directly send these transcripts and documents to them in a sealed envelope. It is advisable to go through the website of the university you wish to join so as to find out about the procedure of uploading or sending documents.
Test Results
After submitting the application, make sure that your test reports/results (TOEFL/IELTS etc.) are sent to the chosen universities on time.
Under most circumstances, these reports will be sent automatically to the universities you had selected while applying for these tests. However, you can also choose to send these reports to additional universities as well simply by logging on to your profile on these test websites and making the additional payment for the extra test reports.
For some tests, you might also be able to download your tests results and reports online for free and then send them to your desired university by uploading them on the application form or sending printed copies through post.
Even though most test reports are sent directly to the university you have mentioned on time, it is best practice to check with the university regarding the same.
Submitting Applications
Once you’ve filled in your details and uploaded your documents, you will need to submit the application form by making the payment for the application form through credit/debit card. This payment is between the ranges of 75 to 100 Australian Dollars for most universities.
You will be sent a reply by the university through post or E – mail stating whether you’ve been accepted or rejected. If you’ve been accepted, then it will also mention the conditions of your admission offer. Generally, universities in Australia respond to applications within a period of 4 – 6 weeks.
Applying Through Agents
An alternative route to apply to universities in Australia is through their overseas representatives or agents present in cities across India. These agents can help students during the application process. However, we strongly advise that you decide the course you want to pursue and the university you wish to join before contacting an agent. It’s advisable to not leave the choice of universities and courses entirely on the agent as they may be motivated to fulfill their commercial interests towards a university more than your "best" interest to achieve admission in a course and university best suited to your background and aspirations.
Interviews
Some universities conduct interviews to judge applicants during the admission process. This is mostly done for courses related to the field of arts such as Visual Arts or Performing Arts.
Universities use these interviews to see whether you have the right aptitude for the profession or not. For courses like performing arts, these interviews are often accompanied by auditions where the applicants are assessed on their practical ability. Auditions are a very crucial part of the admission process for such courses.
These interviews are conducted in person at local centers in India as well as online. Whether you are required to appear for an interview or not depends on the course and university you wish to join. If you are required to appear for an interview, then the details for it will be mentioned on the university website.
