An international student’s guide to changing courses and education providers
Everybody changes their mind at some stage and for manypeople, this occurs at university, specifically regarding choice of degree. Forlocals, the process is reasonably straightforward but for internationalstudents, there a few things to take into account.
Here are several questions you might have about changingcourses.
I want to change my education provider. How soon afterstarting my course can I do this?
If you’re have been studying your principal course for lessthan six months, the ESOSNational Code outlines whether you will be able to change courses. You willmost likely need permission from your current educational provider to transfer,which will require the evaluation of the provider’s transfer policy. Make sureyou understand what is expected of you prior to transferring to a new provider.
What if my education provider rejects my request to transferto a different provider?
Your first option is to lodge a complaint with youreducation provider’s internal appeal process. If you don’t achieve a resolutionyou 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 ofyour Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) has changed. If it has, you must apply fora new visa within 28 days of completing your principal course to avoid yourvisa being cancelled or having to leave Australia.
I hold a student visa (subclass 500) and wish to change to alower level or non-Australian Qualifications Framework course. Is thispossible?
Yes, but you will need to apply for a new student visa, evenif the new course is offered by your current provider. Exceptions includechanging from a level 10 course (doctoral degree) to a level nine course (mastersdegree). You will not need to apply for a new student visa if you want to changefrom a non-AQF course to an AQF course.
I hold a student visa (subclass 570-576) and wish to changeto a course from a different educational sector (ELICOS to a diploma, forexample). 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 receivedyour visa under streamlined visa processing (SVP), there is a possibleexception if the provider you are transferring to was not an eligible providerprior to 1 July 2016, dependent on the length of your current visa and countryof origin.
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