Study in Australia from Nepal
Year 1 in Australia costs about Rs 65.9 to Rs 82.9 lakh on the shortlists we wrote last year, including the AUD 29,710 in living money the visa asks you to show. You need IELTS 6.0 or the equal for the visa. 87.6% of the 842 Australia files we lodged in FY 2025/26 were approved, and most students fly about 14 weeks after the first call.
Quick numbers
Study in Australia
KTMKathmandutoSYDSydney
At Rs 105.97 per AUD, Nepal Rastra Bank, 18 Oct 2026.
Our own files for FY 2025/26 (Shrawan 2082 to Asar 2083). 104 were refused; the reasons are on our About page.
Our proof
Low GPAs, long gaps, tight budgets, one earlier refusal. Every file below began with a free call and a straight answer.
BeforeTold she needed IELTS 7 just to apply for nursing
We separated two English rules: the university's entry score, and the nursing board's registration score, which she needs at the end, not the start.
Asha Pun from Myagdi
BeforeAn offer from a pricey private college
He asked one question: is there a cheaper one that's just as good? We put three side by side, in rupees, with our commission on each.
Kiran Bhattarai from Chitwan
BeforeGPA 2.4, a 3-year gap, told no twice
We stopped trying to get her into year 1 of a degree her GPA didn't meet, and found a diploma whose graduates enter year 2.
Puja Thapa from Dharan
The short version
Australia suits students who want strong work rights and a clear route into a career. It has two intakes a year, a large Nepali community, and 2 to 3 years of post-study work.
It is also the most expensive country we cover. Two questions decide most Australian files: can the family prove where the money came from, and does the study plan make sense? Answer both well and the rest is forms.
The table has the rules. The process section shows what each step costs and when.
| Tuition | AUD 30,000 to AUD 46,000 a year on our shortlists. Diplomas and pathway colleges start lower. |
|---|---|
| Money to show | First-year tuition, plus AUD 29,710 for living costs, plus travel. Funds must be genuine and their source explained.Full guide |
| First-year cost | about Rs 65.9 to Rs 82.9 lakh, all in: tuition, living money and the visa fee, before any part-time income.Full guide |
| Student visa | Subclass 500, AUD 2,500 from 1 July 2026, lodged online with your CoE, health cover and money evidence.Full guide |
| Genuine Student | Short answers on why this course, this university, Australia, and what you'll do after.Full guide |
| Marks | GPA 2.4 to 3.0 after +2 for most bachelor's; CGPA 2.6 to 3.0 for most master's. Lower marks: a diploma into year 2. |
| English | IELTS Academic 6.0 overall for the visa, or the PTE or TOEFL equal. Most master's ask 6.5. |
| Scholarships | University merit awards, Destination Australia (AUD 15,000 a year at regional campuses), Australia Awards for master's.Full guide |
| Work while studying | 48 hours a fortnight in term, unlimited in scheduled breaks. |
| After you graduate | The 485 visa: 2 years after a bachelor's or coursework master's, 3 after a research degree, if you are 35 or under. |
| What changed in 2026 | Nepal at Evidence Level 3 since January; AUD 2,500 fee from 1 July; from 2 October most new applications can't include a spouse or children.Full guide |
Living in Australia
The visa asks you to show AUD 29,710 a year. Careful students outside Sydney live close to it; in Sydney, rent alone can take half.
| City | Rent | Food | Transport and phone | Total a month | In rupees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | AUD 1,350 to 1,750 | AUD 450 to 600 | AUD 240 to 300 | AUD 2,040 to 2,650 | Rs 2.2 to 2.8 lakh |
| Melbourne | AUD 1,150 to 1,500 | AUD 430 to 580 | AUD 230 to 290 | AUD 1,810 to 2,370 | Rs 1.9 to 2.5 lakh |
| Brisbane | AUD 1,050 to 1,400 | AUD 420 to 550 | AUD 220 to 260 | AUD 1,690 to 2,210 | Rs 1.8 to 2.3 lakh |
| Adelaide | AUD 900 to 1,200 | AUD 400 to 520 | AUD 190 to 230 | AUD 1,490 to 1,950 | Rs 1.6 to 2.1 lakh |
You can work 48 hours a fortnight in term and unlimited hours in scheduled breaks. The national minimum wage is AUD 26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026 (Fair Work Ombudsman).
Plan tuition from family money or a loan, never from shifts. Land with 3 months of living costs. Wages you hope to earn don't count towards the visa funds.
Nursing, aged care, teaching, engineering, IT and the trades are where demand has stayed strong. Business and accounting are popular with Nepali students and more crowded. Our alumni in Australia reported a median first full-time salary of AUD 71,400 (188 respondents, 2026 survey).
Most Nepali students live in Sydney and Melbourne, so momo shops, Dashain programmes and student associations are easy to find. Expect to speak up in tutorials, to be marked mostly on assignments, and to fail a unit for copied work.
Free counselling
The financial evidence we see refused most, checked line by line. You get a written plan the same day. Not useful? Walk away, no pressure.
A counsellor calls within 15 minutes
Rather talk now? Call +977 1-5360000 or WhatsApp us.
Your timeline
Last year's median was 17 days from complete documents to an offer and 14 weeks from first call to flight. Two waits are out of anyone's hands: the offer and the visa decision. The rest goes as fast as your papers arrive.
Read each row as a split of the work: your part, our part, the papers involved, and who gets paid.
Day 1
Day 1, by 8 pm
From week 1
From week 2
Weeks 3 to 6
Weeks 4 to 8
Weeks 6 to 9
Weeks 8 to 10
Weeks 9 to 13
2 weeks before you fly
Week 14, median
Our fee is a row in this table, next to the government and university fees. If it isn’t listed here, you don’t pay it.
| Fee | Amount | Paid to | When | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First call and written planOur fee | Free | Landed | Day 1 | Not applicable |
| English test: IELTS Academic, or PTE at USD 220 | About Rs 36,000 | British Council or IDP | Before you apply | No |
| Our service: applications, SOP, visa fileOur fee | Rs 0 (the university pays us 10% to 25% of first-year tuition, shown in writing) | Landed (paid by the university) | When you enrol | Not applicable |
| University application fee | Usually Rs 0; a few charge AUD 50 to 150 | University | With the application | No |
| No Objection Certificate (NOC) | Rs 2,000 | Ministry of Education | Before any tuition leaves Nepal | No |
| Tuition deposit | Often one semester, about AUD 15,000 to 23,000 | University | For your CoE | Mostly, if the visa is refused (Australian law caps what the university keeps) |
| Overseas Student Health Cover | Your insurer's quote, for the whole stay | Insurer | With the deposit | Unused cover, if the visa is refused |
| Student visa (subclass 500) | AUD 2,500 (about Rs 2.65 lakh) | Australian Government | At lodgement | No |
| Biometrics and health check | As quoted by VFS and the clinic | VFS Global and the panel clinic | After lodgement | No |
| Flight | About Rs 1 to 1.6 lakh one way | Airline | After the visa | Only on a flexible fare |
Gather these in this order. A second counsellor reads every page before anything is lodged.
Longer guides on the steps families ask about most, each checked against the official source on the date shown.
The 485 visa, regional extensions, the first job, and the realistic routes from there to PR.
4 min read · Updated
February, July and November intakes, the timeline from Nepal for each, and which one to choose.
3 min read · Updated
Every document, the AUD 2,500 fee, the order of steps and the answers that decide files.
6 min read · Updated
The official grant rate for Nepali applicants, by year, month, sector and location, and how to read it.
4 min read · Updated
The fee, Evidence Level 3, the family rule and the falling grant rate, with what to do about each.
6 min read · Updated
The GS questions in the form, what officers check, and answers that connect your past to the course.
4 min read · Updated
Read the letter, get the deposit back, find the one reason, and decide whether to reapply, wait or change country.
4 min read · Updated
Eight checks for an Australia consultancy in Nepal, and the red flags that should make you walk out.
4 min read · Updated
Tuition, living costs by city, visa, OSHC and every one-off fee, in rupees, with ways to spend less.
5 min read · Updated
Conditional or unconditional, the deposit, the NOC, OSHC, and the order that avoids delays.
4 min read · Updated
AUD 29,710 plus tuition and travel, worked out in rupees, and the four money patterns that get refused.
5 min read · Updated
What OSHC costs, what it covers, what it doesn't, and how to buy it before you lodge.
3 min read · Updated
Rent, scholarships, extra 485 time and state nomination, against fewer jobs and a smaller community.
3 min read · Updated
University merit awards, Destination Australia, Australia Awards and research funding, with what each is really worth.
4 min read · Updated
Tax clearance, CA report, valuation and relationship certificate: what each proves and how to get it in Nepal.
5 min read · Updated
Direct bachelor's, diploma into year 2, or a foundation year: which fits your GPA, and what the visa data says.
3 min read · Updated
Bachelor or master's, PCL credit, two English scores, placements, cost and the job after.
4 min read · Updated
The 2 October 2026 family rule, the exemptions, and the routes left for married students.
4 min read · Updated
Rent, jobs, community and regional benefits, city by city, and how to choose.
3 min read · Updated
Courses that lead to in-demand jobs, the skills assessment each needs, and how our graduates did by field.
4 min read · Updated
Which graduate jobs pay best, what our graduates earned, and how to reach one from a part-time start.
3 min read · Updated
The 48-hour rule, the minimum wage, typical jobs and pay, tax and super, and the underpayment traps.
4 min read · Updated
After the visa
Orientation week comes before teaching starts. Use it to enrol, pick up your student card, apply online for a tax file number, and sort out a bank account, a SIM and a transport card.
Your counsellor calls on day 1. It's a real call: is the room what you were promised, did enrolment work, is the money lasting. Your parents get the same updates you do.
A full-time course is about 20 hours of classes and study a week, more near assignments. Add 20 hours of shifts and your week is full. Bring 3 months of money and let the job come second. If a unit starts going badly, tell us in week 3, not week 12: failed units can put the visa at risk.
A bachelor's or coursework master's gives you 2 years on the Temporary Graduate (485) visa, 3 after a research degree, if you're 35 or under. It needs a fresh English score. PR is a separate application through points, state nomination or an employer, and nobody can promise it. Pick a degree you'd still be glad of if PR never happens.
Your counsellor stays on the file until graduation, for course changes, CoE extensions or a bond dispute. Where it needs someone on the ground in Australia, we'll name who to call.
Honest fit
Good fit
An honest note
The visa is rarely refused for English. It's refused for money. Of our 194 refusals last year, 79 were on financial evidence and 61 on the genuine-student assessment; only 14 were about documents. Students spend months on IELTS and an afternoon on the money file. It should be the other way round.
FAQ
Year 1 costs about Rs 65.9 to Rs 82.9 lakh on the shortlists we wrote last year: tuition of AUD 30,000 to AUD 46,000, AUD 29,710 in living money, and the AUD 2,500 visa fee, at the Nepal Rastra Bank rate of 18 Oct 2026. Flights and health cover come on top.
Enough to cover your first year's tuition, AUD 29,710 for living costs and travel. What matters as much as the amount is that the money is genuine and its source is documented.
Often, yes, through a diploma or foundation pathway that leads into a degree. Students with a GPA around 2.2 to 2.6 usually go this way. A free call tells you which pathways fit your marks.
48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks.
738 of the 842 Australia files we lodged in FY 2025/26 were approved: 87.6%. Our refusals by cause are on our About page.
Yes, or an accepted equivalent. The student visa asks for IELTS Academic 6.0 overall or the equal score for PTE, TOEFL and other tests Home Affairs lists. Your university may ask for more.
Not on a new application lodged from 2 October 2026, unless an exemption applies; for Nepali students the main one is doctoral study. Family can't be added after the visa is granted. Our dependants guide covers the options left.
The Temporary Graduate (485) visa gives 2 years after a bachelor's or coursework master's and 3 years after a research master's or PhD, if you are 35 or under. Permanent residence is a separate process with no guarantees.
Still unsure?
Start here
The financial evidence we see refused most, checked line by line. You get a written plan the same day. Not useful? Walk away, no pressure.
A counsellor calls within 15 minutes
Rather talk now? Call +977 1-5360000 or WhatsApp us.
Our own figures (files lodged, approvals, refusals, costs on our shortlists) are from our records for FY 2025/26. Rupee amounts use the Nepal Rastra Bank sell rate on the date shown. Official rules change: we recheck these sources every month and date every change. How we count our own numbers is on our About page.