The 2023 national Gaokao is counting down, and every candidate is making a final push before the exam. But after the Gaokao, what really counts is your choices — which is why many students want one more pathway to higher education after the results come out.

Australia has long been one of the top destinations for students looking to study overseas, and as the Group of Eight (Go8) universities increasingly accept Chinese Gaokao results, Australia has become one of the best routes for Gaokao students to enter a prestigious university overseas.

With its high-quality education, safe study environment, and strong graduate employment and migration prospects, Australia attracts and is loved by candidates everywhere — and the relaxed, free learning atmosphere of Australia’s public universities is something many Chinese students aspire to.

Chinese high-school graduates can apply for an Australian undergraduate degree mainly in the following ways:

1. Apply directly for an Australian undergraduate degree with your Gaokao results

2. Progress to an Australian undergraduate degree via a foundation programme (pathway)

3. Progress to an Australian undergraduate degree via an international first-year programme

4. Apply directly for an Australian undergraduate degree with your high-school transcript

No.

Applying directly with your Gaokao results

This is currently the most common and most straightforward method — use your Gaokao results plus an English score to gain direct admission to an Australian university.

Best suited to:

Students with strong Gaokao results who want to aim for a higher-ranked university overseas, and who have a good English foundation and do not need a bridging course.

Taking the Go8 as an example — see how competitive your Gaokao results are. Apart from the University of Melbourne, every Go8 university accepts direct admission on Gaokao results.

No.

Progressing via a foundation programme (pathway)

A foundation programme generally runs for 4–18 months, with the exact length depending on the student’s academic and English results. After completing the foundation programme, you begin your undergraduate study, with the duration set by the undergraduate course of your specific university and major — typically 3–4 years. In most cases, a foundation programme connects to every undergraduate major at an Australian university.

Within the Go8, every university except the Australian National University has a foundation college to help students transition smoothly into their undergraduate degree.

Best suited to:

Students who do not want to sit the Gaokao — after finishing Year 11 in China, they can go straight to Australia for a foundation programme

Students who want a transition period before starting at an Australian university

Below is a summary of the Go8 universities that run a foundation college. If you would like to know the entry requirements or course details, message us.

– University of Melbourne: Trinity College Foundation Studies

– University of Sydney: Taylors College Sydney

– University of New South Wales: UNSW Global

– University of Queensland: UQ College (Foundation Year)

– Monash University: Monash College

– University of Western Australia: UWA College

– University of Adelaide: The University of Adelaide College

No.

Progressing via an international first-year programme

Once you complete a diploma (fast-track) programme, you can receive credit for the first year of the undergraduate degree, progress directly into second-year study, and earn the same degree as students who complete the full undergraduate programme.

The programme generally runs for 8–12 months, connecting to selected undergraduate majors at Australian universities such as business and engineering, with multiple intakes a year, flexible start dates, and flexible English requirements.

Students spend the first year in the international first-year programme, then progress into second year at an Australian university.

Best suited to:

– Students who have completed Year 12 but did not sit the Gaokao

– Year 12 students who do not yet meet direct undergraduate entry, or who would like more buffer time to adapt to Australian undergraduate education.

No.

Applying directly with your high-school transcript

A good number of Australian universities can even waive the Gaokao results report and assess your three years of high-school results directly, combined with your English score, to issue an offer.

Best suited to:

Students who did not sit the Gaokao, or whose Gaokao results fell short of expectations,

or who want to secure an Australian university offer in advance — before the Gaokao — as a safety-net option.

A safety-net option for studying in Australia

First: Australian university places are allocated on a “first come, first served” basis. In the past, demand for certain universities or majors has been so high that places filled up within two months of the Gaokao.So you can start the application with your high-school transcript first, secure a conditional offer from an Australian university, and then submit your Gaokao or IELTS results afterwards.

Second: you can use your high-school transcript to apply for an undergraduate offer from a university that admits directly without Gaokao results, as a safety net, and if your Gaokao results come out better than expected, you still have the chance to aim for a higher-ranked university — giving you more security.

We have listed the 13 Australian universities that accept three years of Chinese high-school results for direct undergraduate admission:

Why choose to study in Australia

Studying for an undergraduate degree in Australia not only earns you a prestigious qualification, it also gives you a greater chance of applying for permanent residency — you can walk away with not just a qualification certificate, but a permanent-residency visa grant as well.

Plenty of positive migration news has come through in recent weeks. First, the Subclass 189 / Skilled Independent (points-based) program has been allocated more places in the new financial year, with a usable total of 30,175. The Subclass 190 / Skilled Nominated and Subclass 491 / Skilled Work Regional grant quotas are broadly similar to this financial year, at around 60,000.

One of the most notable changes is that Subclass 482 / Skills in Demand visa holders can transition to permanent residency more easily, with the quota increased by 1,825.In the past, international students relied mainly on skilled migration to apply for PR; now they can also consider the employer-sponsored route.

So what does this new employer-sponsored visa policy mean for students hoping to migrate to Australia through study?

1. It does not affect your applications for the three main skilled-migration categories — Subclass 189/190/491 — employer sponsorship can serve as your migration Plan B, adding to your migration options.

2. It ties migration to Australia’s employment needs, so that while sorting out your residency status, you also sort out employment — even your post-migration job can be locked in.

3. After graduating, international students no longer have to focus on gathering migration points, sitting English tests, or taking community-language exams; they can put most of their energy into finding internships at university and securing a job after graduation, which is clearly far more practical and grounded in real life.

4. In the past, many students grinding away at English or completing a Professional Year (PY) studied full-time at home with no income while still paying exam fees. In future, once they land a job after graduation, they can earn a wage, build work experience, and apply for migration all at the same time.

5. Students no longer have to choose a major they dislike just for migration. In the past, many who genuinely loved business, marketing, or hospitality management gave up those majors because the related occupations were not on the medium- and long-term occupation list, switching instead to other popular migration majors. In future they can rethink their approach and choose a major with strong job prospects that they actually enjoy.

If you are pushing hard for the Gaokao while also planning to study in Australia, get in touch with us now and let us start preparing your application plan. You focus on the Gaokao — we’ll help you choose the right university!

Catch up on past articles

2023 Australian offshore application: state migration pathways! Both Subclass 190 and 491 open!

Workers can migrate too! Older, weak English, a non-traditional migration major — straight to PR!

MINT investment amounts are rising — it really does pay to migrate early!

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Plan B Beyond the Gaokao: Save This Australian University Pathway Now for a Double Safety Net on Your Undergraduate Entry

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Workers can migrate too! Older, weak English, a non-traditional migration major — straight to PR!

MINT investment amounts are rising — it really does pay to migrate early!

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