Getting a higher education Down Under
Apopular destination for Nepali stu dents is Aus tralia and the Australian education system has a strong international reputation. "Professionals willing to pursue higher education will experience a unique kind of education promoting a learning style that encourages innovative, creative and independent thinking in Australia," claims Nawaraj Pradhan, coordinator of South Asia Scholarship Programme Nepal.
Apopular destination for Nepali stu dents is Aus tralia and the Australian education system has a strong international reputation. "Professionals willing to pursue higher education will experience a unique kind of education promoting a learning style that encourages innovative, creative and independent thinking in Australia," claims Nawaraj Pradhan, coordinator of South Asia Scholarship Programme Nepal.
Despite being one of the popular educational destinations, students must know and consider some of the things before opting to study in Australia.
Courses in Australia
The universities in Australia offer diverse study programmes. Ac cording to Pradhan, there are a number of universities which specialise in different subjects. "Nepali scholars have a long history of agriculture science knowledge exchanges and experiences from Australian universities. There are other areas of study that Nepalis have benefited from such as Education, Health, Policy Studies, Human Rights, Climate Change, Water Resource Management, Governance, IT and Law," revealed Pradhan.
Qualifications required Students wanting to study in Australia must possess certain qualifications. Regarding the qualifications required Pradhan informed, "International students pursuing Undergraduate courses should have a valid secondary school certificate (12 pass) to be eligible to be enrolled for Undergraduate programmes in Australia."
For those wanting to pursue higher education in Master's and Doctoral studies, he suggested, "Students must meet university requirements and an English Language Testing Requirement (IELTS) to get entry into Australian universities. Students must have completed a course at least equivalent to an Australian Bachelor degree to get entry into Masters level studies."
He added, "Most univer sities in Australia require an IELTS or other English Language Requirement as a pre-requisite for entry into study programmes.
University policies and procedures vary with such requirements."
Income as bonus not a necessity "I am planning to work and pay my college fees rather than depending upon my parents here," shared Deepak Lamsal from Lokahnthali, Bhakta pur who is planning to pur sue his Master's in Social Work in Australia.Like Lamsal, the majori ty of Nepali students work to earn money while study ing in Australia. Interna tional students are permit ted to work up to 20 hours a week during study peri ods.
But Pradhan suggested, "It is not advised to rely on wages from part-time work for living or pay for tuition fees. It can be very difficult to find part-time work and even more difficult to find well-paid part-time work. Students should treat any income they earn while in Australia as a bonus, not a necessity."
Scholarships
The government of Aus tralia provides scholar ships to Nepali students through South Asia Scholarships Programmes. Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) and Australian Leadership Award Scholarships (ALAS) are two such programmes available for Master's and Doctorate levels.ADS in Nepal are available in two categories -Public sector category (for government employees) and open category (for Masters and PhD level of study in bilaterally agreed priority sectors).The ALAS is an open scheme where candi dates from govern ment as well as private sector are eligible to apply; ALAS are available for Master's and Doctoral (PhD) stud ies.
"These scholar ships aim to develop leadership, build partnerships and linkages within the AsiaPacific, and address priority regional issues," said Pradhan.
Besides these scholarships, the Australian universities too offer scholarships in different programmes.
"International students have to find scholarships being offered in various universities and apply for it. Apart from AusAID funded scholarships, students can apply directly with universities in Australia," Pradhan informed. Choose good university hoose a good University and C study programme in Australia.
Nepali students tend to choose lower grade universities with primary focus on getting a permanent residency (PR) after their studies and to avoid the high fee charged by good ranking universities. Getting a PR this way is a myth, and a large number of students are facing difficulties after going to Australia because of misinterpretations by various parties and students themselves.
Some useful websites
To know about university ranking
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/ala_institutions.cfm
For Australian Awards Scholarships
http://www.southasiascholarship.org or
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/
Australian Embassy Nepal
http://nepal.embassy.gov.au/kmdu/home.html
Search University and study programs:
http://studyinaustralia.gov.au/Sia/en/Home.htm
Visa and immigration details
http://www.immi.gov.au/
VFS Australia Visa Application Center, Nepal
http://www.vfs-au-in.com/
Course fees ·
A Master's programme can average from $30,000-$50,000 (Aus) · A Bachelor's degree, depending upon the nature of field of study, can cost anywhere from $10,000-$15,000 (annual fee) Cost of living Cost of living in Australia will vary upon various cities, suburbs and standard of living students choose to lead. But on an average $2,000 per month for one person should be comfortable for any city suburb and a decent lifestyle.
source:Sharada Adhikari, The Himalayan Times, 23 March 2011
Courses in Australia
The universities in Australia offer diverse study programmes. Ac cording to Pradhan, there are a number of universities which specialise in different subjects. "Nepali scholars have a long history of agriculture science knowledge exchanges and experiences from Australian universities. There are other areas of study that Nepalis have benefited from such as Education, Health, Policy Studies, Human Rights, Climate Change, Water Resource Management, Governance, IT and Law," revealed Pradhan.
Qualifications required Students wanting to study in Australia must possess certain qualifications. Regarding the qualifications required Pradhan informed, "International students pursuing Undergraduate courses should have a valid secondary school certificate (12 pass) to be eligible to be enrolled for Undergraduate programmes in Australia."
For those wanting to pursue higher education in Master's and Doctoral studies, he suggested, "Students must meet university requirements and an English Language Testing Requirement (IELTS) to get entry into Australian universities. Students must have completed a course at least equivalent to an Australian Bachelor degree to get entry into Masters level studies."
He added, "Most univer sities in Australia require an IELTS or other English Language Requirement as a pre-requisite for entry into study programmes.
University policies and procedures vary with such requirements."
Income as bonus not a necessity "I am planning to work and pay my college fees rather than depending upon my parents here," shared Deepak Lamsal from Lokahnthali, Bhakta pur who is planning to pur sue his Master's in Social Work in Australia.Like Lamsal, the majori ty of Nepali students work to earn money while study ing in Australia. Interna tional students are permit ted to work up to 20 hours a week during study peri ods.
But Pradhan suggested, "It is not advised to rely on wages from part-time work for living or pay for tuition fees. It can be very difficult to find part-time work and even more difficult to find well-paid part-time work. Students should treat any income they earn while in Australia as a bonus, not a necessity."
Scholarships
The government of Aus tralia provides scholar ships to Nepali students through South Asia Scholarships Programmes. Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) and Australian Leadership Award Scholarships (ALAS) are two such programmes available for Master's and Doctorate levels.ADS in Nepal are available in two categories -Public sector category (for government employees) and open category (for Masters and PhD level of study in bilaterally agreed priority sectors).The ALAS is an open scheme where candi dates from govern ment as well as private sector are eligible to apply; ALAS are available for Master's and Doctoral (PhD) stud ies.
"These scholar ships aim to develop leadership, build partnerships and linkages within the AsiaPacific, and address priority regional issues," said Pradhan.
Besides these scholarships, the Australian universities too offer scholarships in different programmes.
"International students have to find scholarships being offered in various universities and apply for it. Apart from AusAID funded scholarships, students can apply directly with universities in Australia," Pradhan informed. Choose good university hoose a good University and C study programme in Australia.
Nepali students tend to choose lower grade universities with primary focus on getting a permanent residency (PR) after their studies and to avoid the high fee charged by good ranking universities. Getting a PR this way is a myth, and a large number of students are facing difficulties after going to Australia because of misinterpretations by various parties and students themselves.
Some useful websites
To know about university ranking
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/ala_institutions.cfm
For Australian Awards Scholarships
http://www.southasiascholarship.org or
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/
Australian Embassy Nepal
http://nepal.embassy.gov.au/kmdu/home.html
Search University and study programs:
http://studyinaustralia.gov.au/Sia/en/Home.htm
Visa and immigration details
http://www.immi.gov.au/
VFS Australia Visa Application Center, Nepal
http://www.vfs-au-in.com/
Course fees ·
A Master's programme can average from $30,000-$50,000 (Aus) · A Bachelor's degree, depending upon the nature of field of study, can cost anywhere from $10,000-$15,000 (annual fee) Cost of living Cost of living in Australia will vary upon various cities, suburbs and standard of living students choose to lead. But on an average $2,000 per month for one person should be comfortable for any city suburb and a decent lifestyle.
source:Sharada Adhikari, The Himalayan Times, 23 March 2011
