This Issue.  AustraliaStudy Abroad Weekly

The explosive news kicking off this week was the Department of Education mandating that international students must return to campus, triggering a wave of reactions — rental demand surged and students rushed to lodge their student visa applications.

This week marks a historically significant turning point: the era of online-only study has ended. Australian universities are calling their students back, and we have rounded up a packed week of essential updates — from scholarships to rental tips.

For those looking to migrate, we have continued to compile and share the latest information this week as well.

Meanwhile, the AI essay-writing incident this week drew intense attention from universities and state governments alike — the resulting debate is a landmark news story of our time.

If you are interested in any of the above, feel free to message us directly — we are the experts in everything from study abroad to migration!

News Index:

– CDGDC changes policy — online course qualifications no longer certified!

– RMIT offers 10% tuition discount — automatic on accepting your offer!

– Medical Diagnostic Radiographer: a field worth recommending.

– USI is now being adopted by 8 major Australian universities — if you have not applied yet, take note! You may be unable to enrol or graduate!

– University of Melbourne Welcome Grant scholarships continue to be issued!

– The AI essay-writing incident continues to unfold!

– A large wave of students returns to Australia — rental demand is heating up!

01.

Online courses will no longer be certified by CDGDC from Semester 1 this year

USYD: will provide supporting documentation

As widely known, the major news at the start of this week was the Department of Education’s directive requiring international students to return to Australia in person, with online study no longer eligible for academic qualification certification — effective from Australia’s 2023 Semester 1 (S1). As soon as this news broke, many people who were still enjoying the tail end of the Lunar New Year holiday started contacting us straight away, wanting to submit their student visa applications quickly so they can come back for in-person classes. If you have any needs in this area, don’t hesitate to reach out to us immediately.

So, the University of Sydney later in the week confirmed it would provide supporting documentation for students who are unable to attend classes in person in S1, to be used for subsequent qualification certification. This documentation will be provided after the census date of 31 March.

A number of Australian universities had originally planned to continue a blended model (online + in-person) for S1 this year, with a full transition to in-person only from S2. Given this one-semester gap, more universities are expected to make their own official announcements in the coming weeks.

02.

What?! Scholarships for language courses too?

RMIT offering 10% tuition reduction

Great news for those studying or planning to study at RMIT!Students who commence a language course starting October 2023, and who have a packaged offer combining a language course with a main programme, will automatically receive a 10% tuition reduction scholarship from RMIT — covering the main programme as well.

RMIT language course enrolment details:

10 weeks: minimum entry IELTS 6.0 (no band below 5.5): 29 May–18 Aug and 17 Jul–22 Sep

20 weeks: minimum entry IELTS 5.5 (no band below 5.0): 14 Mar–18 Aug and 24 Apr–22 Sep

We also recommend 2 outstanding RMIT programmes:

• Aviation — Bachelor
  of Aviation (Pilot Training) 

RMIT’s Aviation programme is, by their own claim, second to none. According to figures released by the university, over 800 pilots currently working in China graduated from RMIT. It is truly the cradle of Australian aviation — and yes, the university has its own airstrip. Get in touch for details!

Game Design — Bachelor
of Design (Games)

As widely recognised, RMIT’s Design faculty ranks number one in Australia. Game and animation design is attracting increasing employer interest, and RMIT’s practice-centred curriculum means its graduates’ employment prospects frankly outshine those of Go8 universities, with partnerships spanning numerous industry organisations.Enough said — reach out now for details!

03.

Not just OT/PT — Medical Diagnostic Radiography

A fresh field of medicine we recommend

A Medical Diagnostic Radiographer — what we commonly refer to as an X-ray, ultrasound, or CT technician — operates in radiology or nuclear medicine departments. The scope also covers MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), mammography, fluoroscopy, PET scanning and more. The employment and migration prospects in Australia really speak for themselves!Reach out to us now~

04.

University of Melbourne Welcome Grant Scholarship

still being distributed

The University of Melbourne is offering a one-off AUD 4,000 scholarship for international students!The closing date is 30 April 2023. Applicable to all fields of study. Specific requirements:

– All international students

– Already enrolled in a programme at the University of Melbourne from 2022 or earlier, and re-enrolled for a 2023 programme.

– Arrived in Australia between 1 December 2021 and 31 March 2023.

– Did not leave Australia on or after the start of Semester 2, 2021 (26 July 2021).

– Have not previously received a Student Travel Grant or Melbourne Welcome Grant to cover transition costs for studying and living in Melbourne.

Note: EXCHANGE and STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS are excluded.

For more enquiries about the University of Melbourne, feel free to contact Newstars.

Are you still an international student who does not have a USI? 

You may be unable to enrol or graduate

05.

Your USI is the only proof that you have studied in Australia — have you applied for yours yet?!

The USI (Unique
Student Identifier) is a government-issued reference number that proves you have received education or training in Australia — it is the unique identifier for every student studying here, and it stays with you for life.Australian universities are progressively introducing the USI requirement, and many university websites have made it clear that new students enrolling from this year onwards will need a USI to enrol in courses!

For example, the University of Melbourne:

So if you do not have one yet, feel free to message us anytime!

The AI essay-writing incident continues to develop… 

06.

As widely reported, the AI-generated essay controversy recently triggered crisis meetings at universities, covered by The Australian, and has attracted widespread attention among students.

Australian universities are now planning to restructure their assessment methods, with a greater return to pen-and-paper examinations.A crackdown on AI cheating! Multiple universities have explicitly classified AI-generated content as a form of academic misconduct! Two states have already issued outright bans!

Initially, the thinking in Australia was: crack down on cheating first, get all students back on campus for in-person classes, and the anti-cheating campaign would be won. What nobody anticipated was that the “cheating” was not coming from humans — it was coming from AI!

Many students have already discovered the remarkable capabilities of AI chatbots. The situation is that the underlying ideas in the essays are the student’s own, but the actual wording is AI-generated. Faced with this wave of AI-assisted cheating, NSW was the first to announce it would restrict students’ device access to the application, taking a firm stand against cheating!

NSW’s acting Deputy Secretary for Education said, “These changes will come into effect later this month when students return to school.”

“The Department will also provide teachers with further guidance on implementing robust academic assessment measures to ensure all students comply with the rules.”

Queensland also announced yesterday that it is following suit, “to prevent students from using the platform to write assignments, in order to uphold academic integrity.”

At the university level, the University of Sydney’s latest academic integrity policy has specifically identified AI-generated content as a form of academic misconduct!The post-pandemic shift in the way technology intersects with academia is a topic well worth reflecting on.

Want both migration and a postgraduate degree?

We recommend this one-year nursing master’s 

07.

A hidden gem — the nursing programme at the University of Newcastle, ideal for students who already hold a nursing-related qualification from China.This programme also supports online or in-person delivery, with a AUD 10,000 China-exclusive scholarship up for grabs!

University of Newcastle — The University of Newcastle

Master of Nursing — Master of Nursing

Programme details:

Duration: 1 year full-time

Delivery mode: in-person or online

Start dates: Semester 1 (23 January 2023), Semester 2 (8 May 2023), Semester 3 (21 August 2023)

English requirement: IELTS overall 6.5, no band below 6

Tuition fees: AUD 40,845/year

Scholarship: China Excellence Scholarship — valued at AUD 10,000 for one year of full-time study.

How to apply: No application required. The scholarship is automatically awarded to students who have received an unconditional offer for an eligible non-quota programme and will be commencing study at the University of Newcastle.

Large numbers of Chinese students return to Australia

The rental rush is here 

08.

Many students preparing to return to Australia in the coming days are frantically searching for accommodation — right now, finding a rental property can only be described as extremely difficult!

It is not just Sydney and Melbourne, where international student populations are concentrated and rents have gone through the roof — across all of Australia, finding a rental is a real struggle, and it is expensive everywhere!

Australian media tallied the median rents across several major cities in December last year — Canberra has the highest median rent in the country at AUD 681 per week.

We have rounded up some useful rental listing websites for you:

• Major Australian rental listing sites such as Domain / Realestate / Allhomes
• Large real estate agencies such as Ray White / LJ Hooker operate nationwide, while smaller and mid-size agencies tend to focus on specific suburbs or regions — you may find listings on their own websites that have not been uploaded to the major rental platforms.
• Facebook
  Marketplace, which has a large volume of rental listings covering both single rooms and whole-property rentals — some listed directly by owners, others advertised by agents on the owner’s behalf.
• Student accommodation
• Local community information sharing groups
  
  

• Read more here:Over 40,000 international students — are you tearing your hair out trying to find housing in Australia? This article can really help!
  

Top Australian Universities — Offer Show

This week was dominated by migration-pathway programmes: 1-year Early Childhood GD + nursing spot grabs were the top topics all week.VU February and April intakes still have spots available — reach out now!

Enquire

Study Abroad · Transfers · Enrolment

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 Previous Highlights — click the image to read the article 

Tips and advice for international students renting in Australia!

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PY validity period extended to four years after completion!

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Labour market data may lead government to exercise caution on further increasing migration

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