Australia Student Visa (Subclass 500): 2026 Requirements, Costs and Steps

To study in Australia, you need a Student visa (subclass 500), which lets you study full-time at an Australian education provider for the length of your course, up to a maximum of five years. You cannot apply until your university or college has issued your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), and you will also need to show financial capacity, meet the Genuine Student requirement and buy health insurance that covers your entire stay.

The application fee rose to AUD 2,500 for applications lodged from 1 July 2026, which on its own is a good reason to get your file right before you pay. This guide sets out the correct order of steps, the actual costs that will be counted in your application, and what to watch for before you apply and after you arrive.

What does an Australian student visa allow you to do?

The student visa covers most types of study: bachelor's and postgraduate degrees, vocational education and training (VET), English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS), foundation and pathway programs, research degrees and even school. It lets you stay in Australia for the duration of your course and travel in and out of the country.

You can also include your partner or children in the same application and work a limited number of hours while you study. These benefits come with ongoing conditions, though, and breaching them can put your visa at risk of cancellation, as explained further below.

University admission first, then the visa

The most common mistake is starting the visa before admission is settled. The official order is clear: you apply to the course, receive a Letter of Offer, accept it and pay the first deposit, and only then does the university issue your Confirmation of Enrolment. This document is mandatory in your visa application.

Read the Letter of Offer carefully before accepting it, especially the refund terms. If your visa is refused or you never start the course, this agreement decides how much of what you paid comes back to you. Do not accept the offer if you disagree with any of its terms.

If you plan to study more than one course in sequence, such as an English course followed by a bachelor's degree, they can be packaged into a single visa application, provided each course has its own CoE and the gap between courses is generally no more than two months.

Requirements for a student visa in Australia

Genuine Student requirement

This requirement replaced the old Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) statement, and it is no longer a free-form essay but a set of specific questions within the online application form. They ask about your current circumstances and family and work ties, why you chose this course and Australia in particular, how the course will benefit you, and your study history in Australia, if any.

A good answer here is not the longest one but the one most consistent with your documents. If you say the course is linked to your job or a career plan back home, that should be visible in your qualifications, your experience and the field of study you have chosen.

Financial capacity

You need to show you have enough to cover travel and up to 12 months of course fees, plus living costs. The set minimum for a student's living costs is AUD 29,710 per year.

That figure is not the total amount required, only part of it. What you will actually need to evidence combines unpaid first-year tuition, living costs for you and every family member coming with you, travel costs, and school fees if you bring school-age children.

Not every application needs financial documents at the time of lodging; it depends on your nationality and your education provider. Use the Document Checklist Tool on the Department of Home Affairs website to see exactly what applies to you, and keep in mind that the Department may still ask for this evidence while processing your application, even if it was not required at the start.

Proof of English proficiency

You may be asked for results from an English test accepted by the Australian Government, such as IELTS, PTE Academic or another approved test. This depends on your main course and the Document Checklist Tool, not on a single rule for all students.

Keep in mind that the visa's English requirement is separate from the university's admission requirement. Each university sets its own minimum for each course, and it may be higher than what the visa asks for, so always start with the requirement of the course you want.

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

Overseas Student Health Cover is mandatory for your entire stay, and failing to provide proof of it will lead to your application being refused. It covers doctor visits, hospital treatment, most prescription medicines and ambulance services. The cost varies by provider, policy length and the number of family members covered, so compare more than one provider before you buy.

Health and character

You may need a medical examination, and you can complete it before applying through My Health Declaration to speed up processing. For character, you will answer questions about your record and past conduct, and in some cases you may be asked for a police certificate.

How to apply for a student visa

Once you have your Confirmation of Enrolment, the application goes through these stages:

1. Create an ImmiAccount, the only official portal for lodging a visa application.
2. Use the Document Checklist Tool to find out which financial and English documents you need based on your nationality and education provider.
3. Prepare your documents: passport, CoE, health insurance policy, and financial evidence and English test results if required.
4. Complete the online form and answer the Genuine Student questions accurately and consistently with your documents.
5. Pay the application fee and lodge, then complete your health examination and biometrics if requested.
6. Track your application in ImmiAccount and attach any new document straight away, including any updated CoE.

You do not have to apply through an agent. If you want help with the legal side of the visa, the people authorised to give it are registered migration agents and lawyers. An education agent who is not a registered migration agent can help you choose a university and course, but is not legally allowed to give immigration advice.

Australian student visa costs in 2026

The table below shows the official amounts that go into your application. Some are fees you actually pay, and others are amounts you only need to show you have.

Item	Amount	Notes
Visa application fee for the main applicant	AUD 2,500	For applications lodged from 1 July 2026, with reduced fees for certain categories
Living costs for the student	AUD 29,710 per year	An amount you must evidence, not a fee paid to the government
Living costs for a spouse or partner	AUD 10,394 per year	Added if they are coming with you
Living costs per child	AUD 4,449 per year	Added for each accompanying child
School fees per school-age child	AUD 13,502 per year	Added on top of the child's living costs
Travel costs when applying from outside Australia	AUD 2,000	The amount differs for some regions of Africa
Overseas Student Health Cover	Varies	Depends on the provider, length of cover and number of people covered

Remember that the minimum living-cost figure is used to assess your application, not to estimate what you will actually spend. Rent in cities like Sydney and Melbourne can push your real costs higher, so build your budget around the city where you will live.

Working while you study: what is allowed?

You can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and this includes exam periods and the time before your course starts. During scheduled course breaks there is no limit on your working hours.

Master's by research and doctoral students are the exception: they can work unlimited hours once their course has started. Breaching the work-hours condition can lead to visa cancellation, so do not count on work income to pay your tuition; it helps with day-to-day expenses only.

Obligations that stay with you after the visa is granted

Getting the visa is not the end of it. There are conditions you must meet throughout your studies:

• Tell your university or college your residential address within 7 days of arriving in Australia.
• Stay enrolled, meet attendance and academic progress requirements, and tell your provider if you are ill or facing anything that affects your attendance.
• Keep valid health insurance for your whole stay.
• Do not stay in Australia after your visa expires.

You can check your visa conditions at any time through Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO).

If you want to move to a course at a lower academic level, such as switching from a bachelor's degree to VET, you must apply for a new visa even if your current one is still valid.

Can you bring your family?

Yes, you can include your spouse or partner and your children in your application. But each person raises the amount you must evidence, as the cost table above shows, and needs health insurance. If you have school-age children, school fees alone exceed AUD 13,000 per child per year, a cost many students overlook when planning.

After graduation: the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)

If you complete a registered course in Australia that lasts at least two academic years, you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa, which lets you stay and work after graduating. In the higher education stream it usually lasts two years for bachelor's and coursework master's graduates, and three years for master's by research and doctoral graduates.

Its requirements have become stricter: the age limit for most applicants is 35, and you now need at least IELTS 6.5 with 5.5 in each skill, or the equivalent in another test, taken no more than a year before you apply. So if staying on to work after graduation is part of your plan, factor these requirements into your choice of course and its length.

Common reasons for delays and refusals

The Department of Home Affairs advises lodging a complete application the first time, because a decision can be made at any point after you apply. The most common causes of delays or refusals include:

• Incorrect information or missing documents at lodgement.
• No proof of health insurance.
• Financial evidence that does not clearly show the funds are genuinely available to you, or that does not match your document checklist.
• Genuine Student answers that do not fit your qualifications or your chosen field of study.
• Applying from inside Australia without attaching a CoE, which makes the application invalid.

If you cannot complete your English test, health examination or biometrics in time, attach evidence in your account that you have started the process, rather than leaving the application incomplete without explanation.

Notes for students from Saudi Arabia and the GCC

If you are a sponsored or scholarship student, a letter from your sponsor setting out what the scholarship covers can form part of your financial evidence. Make sure the letter clearly states the amounts and duration, and that anything the scholarship does not cover is supported by other documents.

Check the requirements for your nationality in the Document Checklist Tool early on, because what is required at lodgement differs from country to country. And if you are relying on a student services office, ask directly whether they have a registered migration agent before handing over your visa file.

Frequently asked questions

When should I apply for the visa?

You can apply at any time after receiving your CoE. Processing times vary from student to student, so check the processing times published on the Department of Home Affairs website and leave enough time before your travel date.

My CoE changed after I applied. What should I do?

If your application is still being assessed, attach the new CoE through ImmiAccount as soon as possible. If you already hold the visa, your university will notify the Department of the new CoE.

Is the AUD 2,500 fee the same for everyone?

It is the base fee for the main applicant in most cases, with reduced fees for certain categories. Each additional person in the application is charged separately, so work out the total cost of your application before you pay.

How can YouApply help?

YouApply helps you discover Australian universities and compare their courses, review admission requirements, tuition fees and available scholarships, and explore your application options, so that you reach the visa stage having made your admission decision with confidence.

So the first step is not the visa, but choosing the right course and securing your Confirmation of Enrolment. After that, use the Document Checklist Tool to see exactly what is required of you, calculate the total amount you will need to evidence, and make sure your file is complete before you pay the application fee.