Study abroad in Australia

Study in Australia

Australia Statistics
Geography-Population
Capital: Canberra
Area: 7 686 850 km ²
Climate: Dry to semi-dry moving from the South to the East; tropical in the North
Total Population: 21,262,641 (est. from July 2009)
Urban Population: 89% of the total population (2008)
Languages : English 78.5%, Chinese 2.5%, Italian 1.6%, Greek 1.3%, Arabic 1.2%, Vietnamese 1%, Other 8.2%, Unspecified 5.7% (census from 2006)
Public Expenditure on Public Education: 4.5% of the GDP (2005)

Government-Economy
Type of Government: Federal democratic government of a royal Commonwealth
Independence: January 1, 1901
Voting age: 18 years old, universal and required
GDP: $800.5 million (estimated from 2008)
GDP – per capita (PPP): $38,100 (estimated from 2008)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (estimated from 2008)

Information for Foreign Students in Australia
Obtaining a Visa
The Australian visa is extremely easy to acquire. Everything happens on the Internet at the following address: www.immi.gov.au. However, you must have your confirmation of enrollment from the Australian University of your program before beginning the process.

Housing
A good location for housing is difficult to find and usually very expensive. Here are some sites that will help you find appropriate housing options:
www.domain.com.au
www.flatmates.com.au
www.gumtree.com.au

International Driver's License
To obtain an international driver’s license, you will need to go to your prefecture and present your original license. Please note that this process often takes a long time to process.

Health Requirements
It is required to register for the Australian Health Insurance that covers all international students (OSHC Worldcare).