Australia guide · Nursing · 4 min read
Study nursing in Australia from Nepal, and graduate able to register.
Nepali students study nursing in Australia through a 3-year Bachelor of Nursing (some universities give credit for a PCL) or a 2-year graduate-entry Master of Nursing. To work as a registered nurse after, you need a course accredited for registration and, for tests taken from 23 April 2026, IELTS 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing. 89.8% of our nursing graduates who answered our 2026 survey were working in nursing within 6 months.
The short version
- Pick a course accredited for registration. A 'health' course that doesn't lead to registration is the most expensive mistake we see.
- Two English scores: university entry (often IELTS 6.5 to 7) and registration (IELTS 7 in L, R, S and 6.5 in W for tests from 23 April 2026).
- PCL nurses can get credit at some universities, cutting the 3-year bachelor's by up to a year.
- Clinical placements are unpaid and can be outside the city. Budget travel and lost shift hours in those weeks.
- Nursing is our best field for jobs: 79 of 88 surveyed graduates worked in nursing within 6 months.
Two ways in
| Route | For | Length | Leads to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Nursing | +2 graduates (science with biology preferred); PCL nurses, often with credit | 3 years, less with credit | Registration as a nurse |
| Master of Nursing (graduate entry) | Graduates of another degree, usually health or science | about 2 years | Registration as a nurse |
| Diploma of Nursing (vocational) | Lower +2 marks | 1.5 to 2 years | Enrolled nurse, not registered nurse; can lead into a bachelor’s with credit |
Check one thing before anything else: is the course accredited for registration as a registered nurse? ANMAC accredits nursing programs and the nursing board (NMBA, through Ahpra) registers nurses. We check every course on a shortlist against the accredited list.
If you’re a PCL nurse
Many of our nursing students already hold a PCL in nursing from Nepal and have worked in a hospital. Two things help you:
- Credit. Some universities give credit for the PCL, cutting the bachelor’s by up to a year. That saves a year of tuition and living costs, roughly Rs 60 to 70 lakh.
- Your work history. It strengthens your Genuine Student answers: the course follows directly from what you’ve done.
Ask each university for its credit decision in writing before you accept, with your PCL transcripts and Nepal Nursing Council registration attached.
Two different English scores
This is where most nursing students get confused.
| Score | What it’s for | Typical requirement |
|---|---|---|
| University entry | To start the course | Often IELTS 6.5 to 7 overall, set by each university |
| Student visa | To get the visa | IELTS Academic 6.0 overall or the listed equivalent |
| Registration (NMBA) | To work as a registered nurse after graduating | Tests from 23 April 2026: IELTS 7 in listening, reading and speaking, 6.5 in writing. PTE Academic: 63 overall with listening 58, reading 59, writing 60, speaking 76 |
You need the registration score at the end of your degree, not to start it. Most of our nursing students reach it during the course, with daily English at placement. Some need a focused course in their final year. Our IELTS classes run a registration-level batch for exactly this.
What it costs
Nursing tuition sat in the middle of our Australian range last year: about AUD 32,000 to 40,000 a year. Year 1, including the AUD 29,710 living money and the visa fee, is about Rs 65.9 to Rs 82.9 lakh.
| Extra cost for nursing students | Typical |
|---|---|
| Uniforms, shoes, a fob watch | AUD 150 to 300 |
| Police check and working-with-children check | Fees set by each state |
| Vaccinations and immunity tests for placement | AUD 100 to 400 |
| Travel to placements outside the city | Varies; can include short-term accommodation |
| First aid and CPR certificates | AUD 100 to 200 |
The full Australia cost guide has every other fee in rupees.
Placements: the part nobody explains
Clinical placements are part of every accredited nursing degree. They’re unpaid, full-time for several weeks at a time, and the hospital or aged-care home may be an hour away or in a regional town.
What that means for your budget: in placement weeks you’ll work fewer paid shifts. Plan for two or three months a year with less income, and ask each university where its placements usually are before you choose.
Work while you study
Within the 48-hours-a-fortnight limit, many nursing students work in aged care or as assistants in nursing (AINs). It pays at least the national minimum wage (AUD 26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026), often more on weekends and nights, and it’s the experience hospitals look for when you apply as a graduate.
After you graduate
- Register with the nursing board through Ahpra: accredited degree, English at the registration standard, and a criminal history check.
- Apply for graduate programs. Most hospitals run a graduate nurse year, with applications opening months before you finish.
- Apply for the 485 visa: 2 years after a bachelor’s or coursework master’s if you’re 35 or under; regional study can add time.
Our 2026 survey: 79 of 88 nursing graduates who answered were working in nursing within 6 months (89.8%). That’s the highest of any field we place.
From our files. Asha Pun from Myagdi had a PCL and two years in a district hospital. She thought she needed IELTS 7 just to apply. We separated the two rules: the university’s entry score, which she already had, and the board’s registration score, which she needed at the end. She started a Bachelor of Nursing in Adelaide with credit for her diploma.
Is nursing in Australia right for you?
Choose it if you want to nurse, you can handle night shifts and placements, and your family can fund about two years before your pay covers most costs. Don’t choose it as a “PR course” if you don’t want to care for patients: placements will tell you within months, and the money will already be spent.
Compare the UK, Finland and other routes on our nursing page.
