An international student’s guide to changing courses and education providers
Everybody changes their mind at some stage and for many
people, this occurs at university, specifically regarding choice of degree. For
locals, the process is reasonably straightforward but for international
students, there a few things to take into account.
Here are several questions you might have about changing
courses.
I want to change my education provider. How soon after starting my course can I do this?
If you’re have been studying your principal course for less
than six months, the ESOS
National Code outlines whether you will be able to change courses. You will
most likely need permission from your current educational provider to transfer,
which will require the evaluation of the provider’s transfer policy. Make sure
you understand what is expected of you prior to transferring to a new provider.
What if my education provider rejects my request to transfer to a different provider?
Your first option is to lodge a complaint with your
education provider’s internal appeal process. If you don’t achieve a resolution
you are happy with, there are external bodies where you can press your case,
including the State or Territory Ombudsman or the Overseas Student Ombudsman.
Does changing courses affect my student visa?
If you have changed courses, check whether the end date of
your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) has changed. If it has, you must apply for
a new visa within 28 days of completing your principal course to avoid your
visa being cancelled or having to leave Australia.
I hold a student visa (subclass 500) and wish to change to a lower level or non-Australian Qualifications Framework course. Is this possible?
Yes, but you will need to apply for a new student visa, even
if the new course is offered by your current provider. Exceptions include
changing from a level 10 course (doctoral degree) to a level nine course (masters
degree). You will not need to apply for a new student visa if you want to change
from a non-AQF course to an AQF course.
I hold a student visa (subclass 570-576) and wish to change to a course from a different educational sector (ELICOS to a diploma, for example). Is this possible?
You will need to apply for a student visa (subclass 500)
because your current visa is not suitable for your new course. If you received
your visa under streamlined visa processing (SVP), there is a possible
exception if the provider you are transferring to was not an eligible provider
prior to 1 July 2016, dependent on the length of your current visa and country
of origin.
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