University of Melbourne
Notes of Guidance for Exchange Students
Please check information on Host University’s website for accuracy
The University of Melbourne was founded in 1853 and has approx 26,000
undergraduate and 9,000 postgraduate students. The University is like a self-contained
village, with its own theatres, art galleries, book shop, sports facilities, sushi bar, coffee
lounges, shops, banks, post office, travel agents etc. The inner-city suburb of Carlton,
full of shops, cafes and restaurants, is right next door to the main campus. A 5 minute
tram ride will take you to the heart of downtown Melbourne.
Website: http://www.mobility.unimelb.edu.au/inbound/
Study Dates
Note: In Australia and New-Zealand, the academic year runs from January to
December. In order to allow you to start and finish your studies abroad on time, you
will reverse the academic year at your host university (i.e your semester 1 will be
their semester 2 and vice-versa).
Semester 2
Semester 1
Start
27 July 2015
29 February 2016
End
20 November 2015
24 June 2016
Further information: www.unimelb.edu.au/keydates/
Orientation
We run a mandatory orientation programme:
www.mobility.unimelb.edu.au/inbound/life/enrolment-orientation.html
Melbourne has a ‘Melbourne Welcome’ which commences 5 days prior to general
university orientation and is entirely optional. There is a cost for this, but it has
been highly recommended by previous exchange students.
http://www.mobility.unimelb.edu.au/inbound/life/melbourne-welcome.html
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Academic Work
Students should take a
full subject load of 100
points (usually 25 points
x 8 subjects) for one
Normal
year.
The
minimum
course/credit
Normal course/credit
enrolment for student
load for an
load for a single
visa purposes is 75
academic
semester/term
points for one year.
year
Students
are
not
permitted to take more
than 100 points per year.
Students should take a full
subject load of 50 points
(usually 12.5 points x 4
subjects)
for
one
semester. The minimum
enrolment for student visa
purposes is 37.5 points for
one semester. Students
are not permitted to take
more than 50 points per
semester.
Course list :
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/faces/htdocs/use
r/search/SimpleSearch.jsp
Course information:
Information on course selection :
http://www.mobility.unimelb.edu.au/inbound/yourstudies/selecting-subjects.html
When will course lists for 2015/2016 be
Current list is up-to-date.
published?
Students will pre-select subjects on an online
How and when do students enrol for
application.
courses?
- Students are welcome to take subjects from any
area as long as the subject is open and the student
Are there any subject areas that are not meets pre-requisites.
available or where space is limited?
- However some subjects (e.g. Biomedical
Sciences) might have quotas.
Your final course selection must be agreed with your Exchange
Coordinator and any course changes made whilst you are away must have
your Exchange Coordinator’s approval. Please ensure that you keep in
regular contact with your School (or Schools for joint Honours students)
during your year abroad and advise them of your email and mailing
addresses.
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Accommodation
Accommodation
website:
http://www.mobility.unimelb.edu.au/inbound/life/housing.html
Is on-campus accommodation
guaranteed?
Available but limited. One in four study
abroad/exchange students who apply for
Colleges are successful in gaining a
place.
When is the accommodation deadline?
To be notified.
How
do
students
apply
for
accommodation?
As part of the application process.
Can students choose to stay in private
accommodation?
Do you provide advice to help students
find private accommodation? If so please
provide a link.
Yes
For those who wish to organise their
own accommodation, the university can
arrange temporary accommodation and
provide them with access to share
house, rental property and home-stay
listings upon their arrival. Please refer to
the accommodation link.
Costs
What is the estimated cost of Estimated AU $20,000 – 30,000 per year. Please check
living per academic year?
http://services.unimelb.edu.au/finaid/planning/cost_of_li
ving
Do you have any administrative
fees for incoming exchange
students?
Do you have a compulsory or
non-compulsory health insurance
scheme?
If so please provide a link to
further information:
No
What is the
cost of the To be confirmed.
insurance per
semester
/
term?
What is the cost of
the insurance per To be confirmed.
academic year?
Compulsory Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
provided by Worldcare Health Assistance must be paid
before visa papers can be issued.
www.services.unimelb.edu.au/international/visas/oshc.h
tml
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Visas
Students coming from overseas to study at the University of Melbourne must have a
student visa unless they are an Australian or New Zealand citizen. Students on
study abroad or exchange apply for visa sub-class 575, non-award. They can do this
once we issue a document called a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). We don’t issue
this until students have accepted their offers and met any conditions required.
Students must obtain their Student Visa before arriving in Australia.
Further information: www.immi.gov.au/students/index.htm
http://services.unimelb.edu.au/international/visas/apply
If you are a Chinese national, you are required to obtain Pre-Visa Assessment (PVA)
before you can apply for your visa. Your host institution needs to receive proof of
your PVA before they can process your assessment and issue you with your
Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) which is what you need to apply for your visa.
Pre-visa assessment can take up to 6 weeks. It is very important you apply for it as
soon as you receive your letter of offer. To apply for pre-visa assessment contact
your nearest Australian Diplomatic mission.
Employment
Students should not depend on earnings from part-time work to meet their living
expenses while in Australia. However, it is possible to work for 20 hrs per week,
although Melbourne recommends that you do not work more than 8 hrs per week.
During vacation times you can work full time.
Safety
We hope your stay at your exchange destination will pass without any undue
incident with regard to your safety. However, as you will be staying in a different
environment and culture, you should be prepared to take necessary precautions if
appropriate.
We would advise you to consult with the Study Abroad Office on your arrival and
also look at the following website which will give you up-to-date government
information on the country you will be visiting.
http://www.fco.gov.uk/
If you find yourself without any access to cash, without your passport, or in any
other serious kind of trouble, the British Consulate will try to help. In the unlikely
event of you being arrested for a serious offence, insist on the Consulate being
informed; a consular officer who can advise on local procedures etc will contact you
as soon as possible.
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Please also inform the International Office and your Personal Tutor of any problems
relating to your health or safety whilst on your study abroad exchange.
Disability Statement
Some destinations may be more accessible than others for disabled students. If you
require any adjustments due to disability or specific learning difficulty and you wish
to study abroad please contact Thomas Ozers in the International Office
(Thomas.ozers@ed.ac.uk). We will work together with you to explore the help
available at your host institution. It might also be helpful if you discuss this with
your Personal Tutor and the Disability Office as well.
These notes are for guidance only. We have tried to keep them up to
date, but it is very difficult to do so without your input. So, if you can
keep notes of any inaccuracies in this information we should be glad to
hear of them on your return to Edinburgh. Any other observations and
impressions about your stay will also be useful and will help those
students who participate in the exchange in future years.
==============================================================
International Office, University of Edinburgh, 33 Buccleuch Place Edinburgh EH8 9JS
tel: 0131 651 1927
email: international.outgoing@ed.ac.uk
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