FAQ

For helpful enrolment information, please refer to the Secondary School Program webpage.​​​

​We will soon be providing a list of each school's specific entry requirements in this guide. In the m​​eantime, contact schools directly if you have any additional questions about entry requirements.​

• the subjects offered
• the languages offered
• any sports and extra-curricular programs
• the academic and sporting facilities
• whether the school offers a University Extension program.​

All Victorian schools are required to be registered and to meet standards under the Education and Training Reform Act. To search for an accredited school, use the Find a School search tool, or see the Right School Right Place guide.

If you will be going to a Victorian government primary school you must live with a parent / legal custodian for the duration of your study at the school.

If you will be going to a Victorian government secondary school and you are under 15 years of age you must live with a parent or relative approved by the Department of Home Affairs​.

If you will be attending a Victorian government secondary school and you are 15 years of age and older you have three options. You can:

1. Live with your parents or a relative approved by the Department of Home Affairs​.
2. Nominate a family friend to live with. The nominated person will be required to be approved by the Department of Education.
3. Request that the Department of Education and Training arrange an approved homestay accommodation for the duration of your study.

• three meals a day
• facilities – a bed, wardrobe, towels and linen
• all gas, heating, electricity, cooling and water costs
• cleaning of common living areas
• use of all shared areas in homestay
• study facilities – desk, lamp and bookcase.

If you wish to apply directly, you can either apply online or download an applica​tion form. Click here to find out more about the application process.

Alternatively, you can contact one of our accredited agents in your area to assist you with the application process. Find an agent using our agent search tool​. ​

The nominated welfare provider in Australia can sign the excursion/school camp forms. This will be either the parent (if student selected Option 1), the DHA approved relative (if student selected Option 2) or the Principal Class Officer responsible for welfare at your school (if student selected Option 3 or 4).

The International Student Visa Fee Table lists the fee payment categories for all visa subclasses. Information on bridging visas can be found on Page 2 of the document.

Where the student has opted for the Department to organise their health cover, Medibank cards are sent directly to the host school for international students including students at Victorian government ELS/ELC.

For information regarding Medibank Cards please contact Medibank directly on 1800 234 601.

For information regarding visa conditions please visit the Department of Home Affairs website.

​To access student visa information please access the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO).

VEVO is an online service which allows visa holders, employers and other registered organisations to access information about visa entitlements. It is the responsibility of the school to monitor a family or student’s current visa status.

​For all CASES21 technical issues please contact the Service Gateway on 1800 641 943 or consult the CASES21 Administration User Guide​.

An accredited education agent is an agent that has a contract with the Department and has been provided with registration details to access the online portal. If you are an education agent that does not have an Agreement with the Department and would like to lodge an application on behalf of a student, please select the ‘Direct Applicant’ button in the application menu when submitting an online application.

Your agency will be asked in advance to nominate a generic email address to be used to log in. The registration password for the agency will have been sent to this email address.

Please make sure you circulate both the username and password to other colleagues within your office.

Should you have any enquiries relating to your password or username please email international@education.vic.gov.au.

1. Standard Application – for students wishing to study at a Victorian government school (on a student visa) for greater than 12 months.
2. Study Abroad Application – for students wishing to study at a Victorian government school for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months (short-term study).
3. Dependant Application – for students with parents studying or planning to study in Victoria and wishing to enrol their child in a Victorian government school.
4. Temporary Application – for students wishing to study at a Victorian government school for 8 to 12 weeks (on a visitor visa, for example).

​The online system requires you to enter dates for the proposed commencement date at an English Language Centre.

If you have satisfied the admissions requirements, simply duplicate the dates for both the proposed commencement date at the English language centre and proposed commencement date at the host school.

View PDF for example Study plan dates (pdf) (0.22 mb).

With our online system, you have the ability to save your application at any time and resume it at a later date.

Active applications can be accessed by clicking on 'search my application'​.

There is no time restriction on how long an application can be saved in 'my applications'.

Please ensure that total file upload size is limited to a maximum of 30MB. This is the same whether uploading individual documents or using the 'Bulk Upload' function. If this limit is exceeded, it may result in this error message.​

To keep the file size to a minimum, please upload documents only in black and white, then save documents in low resolution.

Yes, you can lodge an online application without passport details.

Please leave the passport number and passport expiry date fields empty and proceed to the next section of the application.

Please view PDF for example Passport Approval_Direct Applicant (pdf) (0.13 mb)

You will receive an email informing you that the application has been submitted. This email will be sent to the email address used for registration purposes.

You can locate your application in the 'search my applications' section of the online system.

You will receive the electronic version of an application within 30 minutes of submitting an application to your registered email address.

With our online system, you have the ability to save and resume applications. Please check 'search my applications' to determine whether your application has been submitted successfully.

Alternatively, you may contact the International Education Division via email at international@education.vic.gov.au to confirm whether your application has been submitted.

Once you have submitted an online application, you are unable to edit the application.

While you are completing an online application, you are able to edit and withdraw an application at any stage.

Your username is the email address used upon the initial registration process. You would have received a confirmation email with your username to that address

Please keep both the user name and password in a secure location for record purposes.

It is highly recommended that you circulate the username details to all relevant staff within your office to avoid confusion.

Please note: It is important to circulate the username and password details to your office staff to avoid confusion.

At the home screen, in Step 2 (Login), please click 'Forgotten Password'.

You will be sent an email within a few seconds to your registered email address which will provide advice on resetting your password.

It is highly recommended that you circulate the new password details to your office to avoid confusion.

Please note that you will be required to change your password every 120 days.

Yes, you can upload other supporting documents to the supporting documentation section

In the dropdown box of 'Document Type' please select 'Other' and attach the specific document.

For an example, please see the attached PDF: Uploading other document types (pdf) (0.19 mb)

1. Quality education – leaders in learning
2. VCE – an international qualification
3. Excellent English language programs
4. Multi-cultural, safe and friendly community
5. Caring individual welfare support
6. Wide choice of schools
7. Supportive and safe homestay families
8. Government owned – secure and trusted
9. World-renowned universities
10. Melbourne – one of the world’s most liveable cities and an outstanding place to live.

• features of the local area
• languages taught
• special programs
• intensive English language classes
• student support services and programs
• extracurricular activities
• sports offered
• awards.

Alternatively, for a full list of primary and secondary schools which accept international students, see Accredited Primary School List and Accredited Secondary Schools List.

Our homestay families provide the safety and support of a real family. To learn more about our homestay families, the benefits, our strict screening and monitoring processes, rules, and weekly costs and payments, see Accommodation.

When budgeting for your stay, we recommend to allow for between $290 - $440 per week for homestay accommodation ($9,800 - $12,560 per year). This includes an individual​ room and three daily meals.

Students make their first payment to the homestay family upon arrival. Thereafter, payments are usually made monthly. The school’s International Student Coordinator will assist students in arranging the homestay payments.

English testing is not compulsory. Students have two options depending on whether they want to enter directly into host school mainstream classes or undertake intensive English language studies.

Option 1 – Intensive English language studies before entering host school mainstream classes

Many international students choose a Victorian government school intensive English language program for 20–21 weeks (10 weeks subject to assessment) before starting school. The intensive English language program provides students with the English language skills to study in mainstream classes.

Many Victorian government schools have an onsite English Language Centre. Please refer to the Right School Right Place guide​ for more information. In addition, there are six dedicated Victorian government English language schools located across Melbourne.

Option 2 – For direct entry into host school mainstream classes

Secondary school students with existing English language skills can choose to enter directly into host school mainstream classes. If students want to enter directly into mainstream host school classes, the following proof of demonstrated English competence applies, including that the student has either:

• received English instruction for 2 years or more
• been taught in English at an international school for at least 2 years
• achieved a ​general IELTS test score of at least 5.5 for year 10 entry or 6.0 for year 11 entry
  
• achieved an AEAS score of 57 or higher for year 10 entry
  
• achieved a TOEFL​ internet-based (iBT) total score of​ at least 46 or higher for year 10 entry
  
• achieved an EIKEN score of Grade 3 or higher for Year 10 entry, or Grade 2A or higher for Year 11 entry.
  
• achieved a PTE academic 36 or higher for year 10 entry or 47 for year 11 entry
  
• achieved Cambridge B2 162 or higher for year 10 entry
  

In some instances, students may qualify to study for only 10 weeks of English or study their English language studies at the same time as they undertake host school mainstream classes (subject to school assessment).

Many Victorian government schools have an onsite English Language Centre (ELC). Please refer to the Right School Right Place guide​ for more information. Schools that have an onsite English language centre are highlighted by an orange square on the map​. ​Schools without an onsite ELC have information on the distance to the nearest ELC in their profile page.

In addition, there are six dedicated English Language Schools located across Melbourne. English Language Schools are highlighted by a blue diamond in the Right School Right Place guide.

Victorian government school ELCs provide individual welfare support to international students to help them transition into to mainstream classes after completing their intensive English language study.

International students study English as an Additional Language (EAL) as one of their subjects. There are many students who learn EAL in Victorian government schools: around 13 per cent of all students. EAL students are provided English language support and teaching specifically designed for students who are from international backgrounds.

EAL is the same as ‘English as a Second Language’ or ESL.

Click here to find out more.

Yes, it is a requirement of the student visa that the student has health insurance in the form of Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of their visa and stay in Australia. The International Education Division can arrange OSHC on the student’s behalf if requested on the application form. Click here​ to access current Medibank Private OSHC fees.

Students retain the right to choose their own insurer and purchase their own OSHC online. To find out more about OSHC, see the Department of Health website.

Students who study at Victorian government schools go on to achieve future success and are ambassadors for the International Student Program and Victoria. You can watch video interviews with student winners of the Victorian Global Learning Awards.​

You can also watch student success stories through our social media channels:

• Facebook
• Instagram
  
• YouTube
  
• WeChat
  

1. Standard Application – for students wishing to study at a Victorian government school (on a student visa) for greater than 12 months.
2. Study Abroad Application – for students wishing to study at a Victorian government school for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months (short-term study).
3. Dependant Application – for students with parents studying or planning to study in Victoria and wishing to enrol their child in a Victorian government school.
4. Temporary Application – for students wishing to study at a Victorian government school for 8 to 12 weeks (on a visitor visa, for example).

The online system requires you to enter dates for the proposed commencement date at an English Language Centre.

If you have satisfied the admissions requirements, simply duplicate the dates for both the proposed commencement date at the English language centre and proposed commencement date at the host school.​

View PDF for example Study Plan Date - Direct Applicant (pdf) (0.16 mb)

With our online system, you have the ability to save your application at any time and resume it at a later date.

Active applications can be accessed by clicking on 'search my application'​.

There is no time restriction on how long an application can be saved in 'my applications'.

Please ensure that total file upload size is limited to a maximum of 30MB. This is the same whether uploading individual documents or using the 'Bulk Upload' function. If this limit is exceeded, it may result in this error message.​

To keep the file size to a minimum, please upload documents only in black and white, then save documents in low resolution.

You will receive an email informing you that the application has been submitted. This email will be sent to the email address used for registration purposes.

You can locate your application in the 'search my applications' section of the online system.

You will receive the electronic version of an application within 30 minutes of submitting an application to your registered email address.

With our online system, you have the ability to save and resume applications. Please check 'search my applications' to determine whether your application has been submitted successfully.

Alternatively, you may contact the International Education Division via email at international@education.vic.gov.au to confirm whether your application has been submitted.

While you are completing an online application, you are able to edit and withdraw an application at any stage.​

Once you have submitted an online application, you are no longer able to to edit the application online. Please contact international@education.vic.gov.au if you need to withdraw or make changes to your application.​

Your username is the email address which was used upon the initial registration process. You would have received a confirmation email with your username.

Please keep both the user name and password in a secure location for record purposes.

At the home screen, in Step 2 (Login), please click 'Forgotten Password'.

You will be sent an email within a few seconds to your registered email address which will provide advice on resetting your password.

Please note that you will be required to change your password every 120 days.

Yes, you can lodge an online application without passport details.

Please leave the passport number and passport expiry date fields empty and proceed to the next section of the application.

Please view PDF for example Passport Approval_Direct Applicant (pdf) (0.13 mb)

Yes, you can lodge an online application without ​visa evidence.

In the supporting documentation (section status tab), please proceed to the next screen without uploading this document.

In the 'Document Type' dropdown box please select 'Other' and attach the specific document.

Please view the PDF for example Additional documentation_Direct applicants (pdf) (0.45 mb)​