Study in Australia

Education in Australia is one of the best in the world. The education system of Australia is ranked 8th on the global list. The education in Australia is generally built up of three-tier pyramid with primary education at the bottom, followed by secondary education and tertiary education. The education is compulsory for children up to high school, and there is optional tertiary education available to students including universities and TAFE which is a vocational training institution.

Pre-school for children is not compulsory in Australia and it is unregulated. It is part of the primary system school system in Western Australia and Queensland, while it is separated in other states. In Northern Territory and Queensland, pre-schools are run by the territory and state government respectively. Others are run by local councils, private organizations or community groups. This pre-school prepares a child for primary school and is offered to children from three to five years of age.

The primary school and high school education is compulsory in Australia. Two thirds of the students are educated in government schools and the rest are in independent school. Government schools are free to the students while there are fees for those attending independent schools. Independent schools are religious or secular. However, both types of schools must adhere to the fixed similar curriculum frameworks. The students will be wearing their own school uniforms, but there are a small number which do not require uniforms.

Government schools are under the management of local state or territory government. There are two categories; open and selective. Open schools will accept students from their government defined areas while selective schools are mainly for the academically gifted students. Apart from that some selective schools are based on performing arts and sports to gain entry. Most of the selective schools are in New South Wales.

Independent religious schools such as Catholic schools are run by local parish or the Catholic Education Department of each state. Some of them are operated by religious groups and secular educational philosophies. Although the government schools are free, some of these independent schools are charging a high amount of fees.

The education in Australia starts from very young age. Four to five year olds are attending kindergarden, and five to six year olds in preparatory schools to prepare them for year 1. Year 1 starts at either 6 or 7 years old depending on the state and territory. Primary education lasts for 6 years. The next six years are spent in high schools. In some independent schools, there is a level of middle school between primary and high school. This has also been incorporated by some states.

In 2007 there are 39 recognized Australian universities. Public funding of higher education in Australia is primarily the responsibility of the Commonwealth. It supports the funding for grants, scholarships and educational loans to students. Higher education in Australia includes certificate, diploma, associates, bachelor with or without honours, masters and doctorates. There are higher doctorates available to those with long period of experience. The first university in Australia is the University of Sydney followed by University of Melbourne.