[Study Abroad Weekly Bulletin Issue 177] Renewal options for the 15 March student visa expiry! University of Sydney offers pandemic subsidies to these students! Get into UNSW first year without the Gaokao!

NO.1 Visa expiry peak is approaching — renew early

A visa is an essential document for every international student, and 15 March each year is the peak period for visa expiries. Students who graduated at the end of 2020 typically have their visa expiry date falling around 15 March. This year, the sudden onset of the pandemic has thrown many students’ plans into disarray — with border closures and a shortage of flights home, some students have been unable to leave Australia in time.

If your visa is about to expire, add the QR code at the end of this article to plan your renewal. We’ll work overtime to check every detail and lodge your visa application for you!

If your visa expires on 15 March, you need to get your renewal sorted urgently!

You have the following options:

—Apply for a Graduate Work visa: Requires your full university transcript, completion letter and English results; visa validity ranges from 1.5 to 2 years.

—Apply for a student visa: Suited to students continuing their studies in Australia; requires a new CoE from the enrolling institution, with visa length depending on the course duration.

—Apply for a VET course student visa: Low cost, lighter study load, and more time to balance work; visa validity is around 1 year.

—Apply for a visitor visa or Subclass 408 visa: Suited to students who don’t plan to stay in Australia long-term and intend to leave within about six months. Visa validity is generally around six months.

–In addition, if you have a partner, you could consider attaching to your partner’s existing substantive visa.

NO.2 University of Tasmania extends application and offer-acceptance deadlines

NO.3 UNSW Transition foundation programme and fast-track first year now accept Year 12 results

Good news! UNSW’s shortest Transition foundation programme (four months) and the Diploma fast-track first-year programme now accept Year 12 results from Chinese high school students (previously, applicants had to provide Gaokao results meeting a minimum score)!

Transition four-month foundation programme

Study areas: Business, Business Actuarial Studies, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences

Entry requirements: Chinese Year 12 average score of 80% or above

Start date: August 2021

Delivery mode: online

English: IELTS 6.0 (Writing no lower than 5.5, other bands no lower than 5.0) or PTE average of 50 (Writing no lower than 46)

Diploma fast-track first-year programme, 12 months

On completion, students progress directly into second year of the bachelor’s degree.

Study areas: Engineering / Science / Computer Science / Business

Entry requirements: Engineering / Computer Science / Business streams require Year 12 results of 85% or above; Science stream requires 80% or above

Start date: May/August 2021

Delivery mode: online/on campus

English: Engineering / Science / Computer Science streams require IELTS 6.0 (Writing no lower than 6.0, other bands no lower than 5.0) or PTE average of 50 (Writing no lower than 50)

Business stream requires IELTS 6.5, no band lower than 6.0, or PTE average of 64 (Writing no lower than 54)

This is fantastic news for Year 12 students in China with strong school results who don’t want to sit the Gaokao, or who are worried their Gaokao score won’t be strong enough! If you’re interested, contact the consultant listed at the end of this article! Less Gaokao pressure means more time to prepare for your English tests. You’ll be one step closer to this top-tier university, ranked 4th in Australia and 44th globally in the QS rankings!

NO.4 UNSW international scholarships

NO.5 UTAS releases new 2021 overseas-study grant

University of Tasmania is offering more and more thoughtful support to students studying overseas. On top of running overseas study centres at three universities in China, in 2021 it has released a new grant policy specifically for students currently studying outside Australia!

If you’re eligible, you could receive a grant of up to AUD 2,000 when Australia’s borders reopen and you return to Tasmania to study!

The 2021 overseas-study return-flight and quarantine-cost grant covers 

• A subsidy for international flights;

• A subsidy for any quarantine costs incurred after you arrive in Australia.

 Eligibility 

• Enrolled at UTAS by Semester 2 2021 (inclusive), currently studying online outside Australia, and planning to return to Tasmania for full-time study once Australia’s borders reopen.

• Eligibility for the grant lasts until graduation — it ends once the student graduates.

• To receive the grant, students must first pay for their flights and any quarantine accommodation costs and keep proof of payment; after arriving in Tasmania, they must provide this proof of payment to UTAS and apply.

• University of Tasmania will review student applications and pay the grant to eligible students, with funds paid into the student’s nominated account.

NO.6 UWA launches brand-new computer science course

The University of Western Australia is located in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and graduates gain migration points, an additional 1-year work visa, and more migration pathways! It is one of Australia’s six sandstone universities, and one of the country’s most historic, iconic and prestigious research-intensive institutions. In the latest 2021 QS World University Rankings, UWA ranked #7 in Australia and #92 globally.

UWA’s newest course — the Bachelor of Advanced Computer Science (Honours), covers three specialisations:

Artificial Intelligence  

Computing and Data Science

International Cybersecurity

Course length: 4 years for the honours degree; intakes in February and July each year

Academic requirements: a Gaokao score of 78% of the local total score — for example, out of a maximum of 750, a score of 585 qualifies for application — or an equivalent Australian ATAR of 92

English requirements: IELTS 6.5, no band lower than 6.0 (an English course can be added)

At undergraduate level, students interested in multiple fields can complete two majors at once at no extra cost.

NO.7 University of Sydney offers grants to eligible students studying offshore

Mindful of the anxiety faced by overseas students unable to enter Australia, the University of Sydney is offering a grant (up to AUD 3,000) to students who meet the criteria.

If you meet these conditions, you’ll be assessed as eligible for a refund. Eligible students will receive an email from the university progressively, so please check your inbox regularly.

● During Semester 1 2020, you were unable to enter Australia due to the government’s initial travel restrictions; and

● These circumstances caused you to defer or suspend your Semester 1 studies, enrolling instead between 2020 and Semester 2 2020; and

● You enrolled in your course in Semester 2 2020 and have remained continuously enrolled.

To be eligible for a refund, you must meet all of the above conditions, and declare that your circumstances satisfy all three of the listed declarations. The deadline for declarations is 10 March 2021 (Wednesday).

When submitting your declaration, applicants must confirm that the declaration provided is true and accurate, and acknowledge that if the declaration is later found to be false, any refunded fees already applied for will be deducted from your account, and you may face disciplinary action under the University of Sydney (Student Discipline) Rule 2016. So please make sure you actually meet the conditions before applying and declaring!

NO.8 Important ANU update

In 2021, ANU (Australian National University) continues to use its three-round assessment system to recruit outstanding applicants from around the world:

Semester 2 2021 application deadline: 30 April 2021

Semester 1 2022 application deadline: 16 November 2021 (applications open in early March)

The specific timeline for the 2020 three-round assessment system is as follows:

Note:

During each round’s assessment period, there is a 1-week window to change your preferences.

Round 3 preference-change window: 23–30 April 2021

Notes:

–Conditional Offers are not issued, as applicants must already meet the English requirements.

–Some courses have additional requirements beyond the entry score, such as work experience, relevant background, or a portfolio. For specific requirements, please contact the Newstars consultant listed at the end of this article.

–The master’s programs accept applications for a Full Offer in advance from Chinese undergraduate students with 6 semesters or more of results! In other words, high-achieving Chinese university students can apply for a Full Offer at ANU with a complete 6-semester transcript plus English results; applicants must also submit, before the course starts, their final complete Chinese undergraduate transcript, graduation certificate and degree certificate, along with the corresponding translated or notarised school documents.

–Undergraduate admission accepts a predicted transcript with “international qualifications”, but it must be a predicted transcript issued within the last 6 months

–Applications for ANU’s foundation programme officially opened in January 2021; students who have completed Year 11 or Year 12 can apply.

This week’s featured Australian university

Offer Show

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