Australia / View cities

• Third most popular international student destination in the world despite having a small population compared to other countries such as England and  the U.S.
• Quality assurance of education and training regulated by English Australia and ISO 9001 certifications. University system ranking, 8th in the world ahead of the UK, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands.
• Affordable tuition and living expenses compared to other English speaking destinations such as the UK or the US. More than $200.000.000 AUD annual government investment on international scholarships.
• Working opportunities while studying in Australia. 5 out of 30 best student cities in the world are in Australia.
• Qualifications issued by Australian institutions are well recognized and meet employer's expectations worldwide. 7 out of 100 top universities in the world are Australian. 

Australia's national currency is the Australian dollar (AUD) which comes in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 notes. Coins come in 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent and one and two dollar denominations.

Banking hours are usually 9.30am to 4.00pm Monday to Thursday and until 5.00pm on Friday. Some branches can be found open on Saturday mornings.

Australia's four largest banks are: National Bank of Australia, Australia New Zealand (ANZ) Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac Banking Corporation. Smaller banks include: ING Direct, AMP Banking and HSBC Australia.

If you plan to stay in Australia for any length of time with an extended visa, you may wish to open an Australian bank account. In Australia, most income including salary or wages and government benefits is paid directly into a bank account.

The easiest way to get cash away from home is from an ATM (automated teller machine) with an international network such as Cirrus (Mastercard) or PLUS (Visa). Australian ATMs use a four-digit code, so check with your bank and make sure you change yours before you leave your country.

Goods and services tax: Australia has a Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 10 per cent. You may be able to claim a refund of the GST paid on goods bought in Australia if you have spent AUD$300 or more in one store, no more than 30 days before departing Australia. Tourist Refund Scheme facilities are located in the departure area of international terminals.

Sample Price Guide:

• Accommodation per month: 1.309, 39 A$
• Average food prices per month: 370.19 A$
• Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar: 8.75 A$
• Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant: 17.00 A$
• Small bottle of water: 2.57 A$
• Small bottle of beer: 6.00 A$
• Cappuccino (Regular): 3.96 A$
• Cup of coffee: 3.50 A$
• Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle): 3.05 A$
• Liter of milk: 1.54 A$
• Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g): 2.94 A$
• Movie ticket: 18.00 A$
• One-way Ticket (Local Transport): 4.00 A$