Studying in Australia requires more savings

International students coming to Australia must have more than 24,500 AUD (nearly 380 million VND) in their savings account, an increase of 17% compared to before.

The new policy was introduced by the Australian Government on August 26, effective from October 1. In addition, schools are not allowed to allow students to take additional courses before completing the main program for six months, from now on.

The move comes after Australia adjusted the number of hours international students can work to 24 hours per week from July 1, instead of unlimited. If students can work unlimited hours, many will choose to do so instead of prioritizing their exams, according to researcher Ly Tran of Deakin University.

Therefore, requiring students to have larger savings is to help them focus on their studies, as well as reduce the risk of exploitation due to the need to work to earn money to cover living expenses.

Students in an activity at the University of Adelaide, Australia. Photo: University of Adelaide Fanpage — Students in an activity at the University of Adelaide, Australia. Photo: *University of Adelaide Fanpage*

The measures are also aimed at addressing the abuse of apolicy that allows students to study two courses at the same time in Australia. Normally, students are only allowed to enrol in a second course after they have been enrolled in their main course for six months. However, after arriving in Australia, many people opt to enroll in low-cost vocational training programs to start working early.

Since the beginning of the year, the number of international students enrolling in two programs at the same time has increased from 10,500 to 17,000. Meanwhile, statistics from the Australian Department of Education show that from 2018 to 2021, the majority of students who enroll in additional courses will drop out of their original course within the first month.

Education agencies and vocational colleges have been accused of profiting from students "skipping" courses.

A representative of the Association of Australian Schools in India said that although the second course was a good option for students, it was also a loophole that allowed some vocational schools to operate illegally.

“Policy loopholes are attracting dishonest students, increasing fraud and damaging Australia’s international education brand,” he said.

Education Secretary Jason Clare said the new measures would stop second education providers “poaching” international students before they have completed the mandatory six months at their first institution.

Clare O'Neil, Australia's Minister for Home Affairs, said the change would help maintain Australia's global reputation for quality education. International education is now the country's fourth-largest export.

"The government has zero tolerance for people exploiting students," O'Neil said.

Groups of schools with a high risk of cheating will be subject to increased scrutiny. Poor quality education services may be suspended, based on the number of fraudulent applications and student visa refusal rates. More than 200 schools currently have a student visa refusal rate of more than 50%.

The new measures have been welcomed by Australia's leading universities.

By May, about 610,000 international students were studying in Australia, almost back to pre-Covid-19 levels. The average cost of studying and living here is 40,000-60,000 AUD (0.6-1 billion VND) a year for university.

More than 23,500 Vietnamese students are in Australia, ranking 6th in the number of international students, after China, India, Nepal, Colombia and the Philippines.

Khanh Linh (According to SBS, The Pie News)

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