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With a secondary campus in Albany and various other facilities elsewhere, the University of Western Australia seems to be a perfect fit for international students who are seeking to study in Australia. Situated near the Swan River in Perth, Australia, it has a breathtaking landscape with a mix of contemporary and modern architectural buildings.

Popularly known for its courses in Geosciences, Engineering, and Fine Arts, U of Western Australia includes six faculties and schools with a quite remarkable student/faculty ratio of 17:1

The university provides excellent ways to meet and interact with new people from the campus. From university clubs to sporting activities to English learning centres, UWA spares no effort to help its students make life-long connections. While most of its scholarships are designed to help those who are academically well-versed, UWA is known to attract top talent, even in the teaching and research departments. 

Quick fact: The city of Perth also includes a Central Business District, which is a 10-minute drive from the campus.

University of Western Australia Rankings

Aspiring to be among the top 50 universities across the world, UWA currently holds a respectable place across the top universities in Australia - 

• #1 in Australia and the world’s top 50 for Biological Sciences, Environmental Science and Engineering, Marine/ Ocean Engineering and Agricultural Sciences as per the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities 2019

Also, the 2018 Academic Ranking of the World Universities ranks UWA at 93 in the world

• Times Higher Education places UWA at #134 in the World University Rankings 2018

As per the QS World University Rankings of 2018, UWA is placed at #91 

Quick fact: UWA has been rated 5-stars by QS World Rankings 2018 for student demand, student/staff ratio, and student retention. 

Highlights

University of Western Australia Programs, Campuses, and Accommodations

Programs

The university offers more than 200 programs, with seven of its programs ranking among the world’s top 50. The university comprises of six faculties and schools, that has a student to faculty ratio of 17:1

Popular courses at the University of Western Australia include:

• Earth and Marine Sciences
• Agriculture and Forestry
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Engineering
• Performing Arts

Campus

UWA comprises three campuses spread across Perth, the suburb of Crawley, just 10 minutes from the Perth central business district, is home to the main campus of The University of Western Australia.

Crawley Campus - Known to be a leading intellectual and creative resource to the communities of Perth, the campus includes an ample amount of art collections, theatre venues, cultural and social groups. UWA’s distinguishable composition of architecture and contemporary buildings include state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities along with performance theatres, studios, and tutorial spaces. Surrounded by lush green spaces with open courtyards, UWA is situated on the Swan River in Crawley and stands among Australia’s most picturesque campuses. The residential colleges lie in the north with a whole lot of services on campus, including - banking, Co-op Bookshop and second-hand bookshop, cafés, medical centre, etc.

UWA Claremont - Just a few minutes away from Crawley Campus, UWA Claremont is located on the corner of Princess Road and Goldsworthy Road in Claremont. It comprises of Taylor’s College, which is known to be the home to the State's first post-secondary teaching institution. 

UWA Albany - UWA has a regional campus in the south-coast town of Albany - a four-and-half-hour drive from Perth

The friendly and close-knit UWA Albany community includes the:

• UWA Albany Centre - a welcoming and helpful community that is known to provide the perfect alternative to the big city campus. 
• Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management - offers cost-effective and innovative research that is known to make a significant contribution to natural resource management problems.
• Rural Clinical School - provides clinical placements to medical students from UWA and Notre Dame, Australia. 
• Friends of UWA Albany - helps the community in showing support and involving in UWA activities. 

Quick fact: In 2019, UWA Albany celebrated 20 years in the Great Southern region.

Accommodations

On-campus – Providing accommodation to 2500+ college students from Australia and 55+ countries worldwide, UWA’s residential colleges (commonly referred to as College Row) are known to offer hassle-free student accommodation in Perth. 

The residential colleges are located conveniently opposite to the UWA and provide the student with a world-class living and learning environment, helping those who are trying to find accommodation while studying in Australia. 

• St. Catherine’s College
• St. George’s College 
• St. Thomas More College
• Trinity Residential College
• University Hall

UWA provides various other facilities like access to a gym, music rooms, chill-out zones, etc. 

Off-campus – Student accommodation is provided in the Crawley village, which is a collective group of residential houses, units, and studio apartments owned and operated by UWA. A few key features are- 

• Properties located in a comfortable environment adjacent to the UWA campus
• Shopping and entertainment areas nearby 
• Public transport available, for short trips and surrounding areas
• Partial furnishings on a handful of properties

Quick fact: With public transport right on your doorstep, getting to the city, beach, and Perth's best shopping and nightlife areas is also quick and easy.

Admission Process

Where to Apply: International students who are seeking to get admission at the University of Western Australia can apply through the official international application page or via an agent

Application Fee: International undergraduates need to submit an application processing fee of 104 USD. Whereas, for graduate aspirants, the application fee is 69 USD. 

When to Apply: All undergraduate aspirants can choose to apply between semesters 1 and 2. However, the application deadlines for a few other courses may vary. 

While the application deadlines for UG courses remain the same for almost all of the programs, the application dates for graduates may vary according to the course you opt for. A few of the popular graduate courses and their deadlines are as follows :

For other course-specific deadlines, you may refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section on the university’s official website. 

How to Apply: Students who are looking forward to applying at UWA must submit the completed application along with the processing fee and fulfil the below-mentioned requirements : 

• Official transcript(s) from previous school(s) 
• Personal essay
• English proficiency test scores -

• Some programs at the University of Western Australia requires ATAR. While the median ATAR for 2018 admissions was 91.7, ATAR requirements might range from 99 to 75. 

Tuition and Living Expenses

Tuition and living expenses at the UWA are course-specific and may vary according to the course you opt for. Tuition and other expenses for a few UG courses are as follows : 

Similarly, the tuition for a few popular graduate courses are mentioned below in a tabulated format :

While the Cost of Living may vary according to the type of accommodation chosen by the student, the average cost of accommodation should be about 14,622 USD

Furthermore, a one-off registration fee of 87 USD must be paid during the submission of the application for the UWA residential college. 

Scholarships/Financial Aids

International candidates are advised to look for scholarships and loans to study in Australia through other sources as well since the number of candidates applying for the university-funded scholarships and financial aids are quite high to compete with.

Work While you Study

Australia is known to be the first preference for a student who is looking to continue their academic journey overseas. With an annual living cost of up to 35,000 - 40,000, working while studying in Australia seems to be the most feasible option to meet basic expenses. 

Fortunately, the University of Western Australia provides work-study programs for its students on campus. The positions are casual paid jobs and volunteer positions. Interested students may look out for jobs at : 

• CareerHub - known to employ more than 80 higher education institutions across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. 
• The Library - Offers various positions within the university libraries to employ casual staff. The openings are often posted on CareerHub. 
• Programs like UniMentor, FairwayUWA, and Aspire UWA offers various mentoring and leadership positions, within and off the campus. 

Furthermore, UWA also welcomes the “Peacocks” to become campus guides for secondary school students who tend to visit the campus. 

Quick fact: The Peacock is UWA’s official mascot, which throughout the years, has been known to be an integral part of the UWA experience. 

ADMISSION

The University of Western Australia is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. The university enrols close to 20,000 students annually.

The most top-ranked courses offered by the university are Agriculture and Forestry, Anatomy & Physiology, Civil & Structural Engineering, Earth & Marine Science, Mineral & Mining Engineering, Psychology, Biological Science, Ecology, Public Health, Environmental Science & Engineering and Marine/Ocean Engineering.

• Entry requirements vary from country to country. It is advisable to check the requirements before applying.
• International applicants can choose to apply through Education agent or via online.
• MBA applicants are required to show two years of professional working experience.
• Some postgraduate research programs may ask higher English proficiency scores than minimum scores.

Highlights

University of Western Australia Admission Deadlines

International Applicants must apply 90 days prior to the deadlines to be considered for admission -

This is a suggested deadline. Admissions will continue to accept applications until three weeks before Semester commences, however, there is no guarantee that the application will be assessed in time if the applicant submits it after the deadline. This does not apply to Medicine, Dentistry, Podiatric Medicine or Pharmacy direct pathway applications.

There are no application deadlines for PG courses.

University of Western Australia Undergraduate Admissions

The university offers undergraduate degrees in varied disciplines like Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Biomedical Science (BBiomedSc). Bachelor of Philosophy is one of the most popular courses that allow an intake of only 30 students per year.

Application Portal: University online application portal

Application Fee: $150

Academic Requirements

• Original final secondary school transcripts with a minimum GPA of 3.
• Personal Essay
• Proof of English Proficiency
• ATAR scores for some programs
  • For 2018 admissions, the University’s overall median ATAR was 91.7 and the overall percentage of school leaver entry on ATAR was 95.5.

English Proficiency Test Score for International Students

International students may submit either TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or CAE scores to prove English proficiency.

Visa Process for International Students

All international students have to apply for a single student visa (subclass 500). These are the steps to be followed prior to applying for the student visa -

• Apply to the UWA course.
• Accept your offer.
• The applicant must have a valid passport.
• The application must contain all the documents listed on the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) document checklist.
• The applicants have to create an ImmiAccount.
• DHA shall assist the applicant through the rest of the application process.

A student visa application should show the following proof:

• English language proficiency
• Evidence of funding to cover travel and living, course and schooling costs.
• Genuine temporary entrant requirements
• Character Certificate
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
• Note: If an applicant is below 18 years of age, they have to prove their welfare and accommodation in Australia.

University of Western Australia Graduate Admissions

The University offers graduate degrees in courses like engineering, computer science, biology, architecture, research, etc.

The university does not offer some PG programs to international students such as Master of Clinical Audiology and Master of Pharmacy.

Application Portal - University online application portal

Application Fee - $100

Application deadline - December 1

The university usually takes 10 business days to process the application. If the applicant is successful in securing the admission an offer letter will be sent. This letter will contain the new student number, course details and how can an applicant respond to the offer.

The University has a selective admission process. Applicants are advised to apply prior to the deadlines to ensure a better chance of selection. The university considers the applications with an overall approach.