Australia is a great destination for many international students. Its top-ranked institutions, exciting cities, and residents’ often laidback lifestyle attracts thousands of learners from around the world. If you want to study in Australia, it’s important to understand how the Australian academic year is set up, especially as it can vary by study level. Read on to learn more!

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Primary and Secondary Schools

Australia welcomes international students as young as five years old, including the children of international tertiary-level students. 

• Children between the ages of 5 and 10 must live with a parent while in Australia.
• Children aged 11 or 12 may live with a parent or direct relative approved by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

While the primary and secondary school year generally begins in late January or early February, you’ll need to check with each school for their specific start date.

At the primary and secondary levels, the school year is divided into four terms, which usually begin in January (Term 1), April (Term 2), July (Term 3), and October (Term 4). There are set holiday times between each term to give students a break from their studies.

International students can enrol in primary school (kindergarten to Year 6) during any term. 

There are no English-language entry requirements for primary school children from kindergarten to Year 6. However, international students who are 12 or older may need to enrol at an Intensive English Centre before they can enrol in Year 7 at an Australian school.

English Language Courses

To improve your English language skills while in Australia, you may take an English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (or ELICOS) programme. Course length ranges from 5 to 60 weeks, depending on your skill level and academic goals.

ELICOS courses are structured in weeks rather than semesters, and have multiple start dates throughout the year. This flexibility helps ELICOS courses fit into the lives of many international students.

To allow enough time to have your student visa processed, it’s wise to apply for your ELICOS course five to six months before it begins. While around 50% of student visas for this study level took as little as two weeks to process as of February 2026, processing could also take up to four months.

Pathway and Foundation Courses

These kinds of courses provide the skills international students need to thrive in higher education programs. Pathway courses include English-language preparation, Foundation studies, and international master’s qualifying programmes.

Students taking a Foundation academic year will usually start their course in February. The year is organized by semesters, which can have different lengths depending on the course.

Students pursuing an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course must check with their institution to see when these courses begin. At some institutions, EAP is offered in Semester 1 (a February/March start), Semester 2 (a July start), and during the summer semester, which often starts in November. However, at other institutions, EAP offerings are more limited.

Vocational Education and Training

Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses provide students with practical learning opportunities so that they can graduate, job-ready, with learnings aligned to over 500 different careers. Many VET courses include work-integrated learning opportunities like placements or industry partnerships.

VET courses range from one to four years in length, and their academic years are structured as either two semesters or four terms. Most courses begin in late January or early February, though start dates vary.

Higher Education

The academic year at universities and non-university higher education providers can vary by study level. 

At the undergraduate level (think bachelor’s or vocational degrees), the academic year is often divided up into two semesters. Courses usually begin in the autumn session, which begins in late February or early March. Applications for autumn intake open in August or September, and it’s wise to apply early, as popular programs can fill up quickly.

Alternatively, students can enrol in the spring semester (July/August intake), with applications opening in January or February. Verify specific dates with your target institutions. 

Note that some academic institutions use a trimester model, where the summer session or trimester is a formal teaching period for all students. The summer session start date varies—for example, for the 2025/26 academic year, it will range from September 2 to December 14. So, if your institution uses this model, you’ll want to check directly with the admissions team to understand what your academic year looks like.

The postgraduate or master’s level works similarly, with the academic year usually divided into two semesters starting in February or March (autumn session) and July or August (spring session). 

At the doctoral degree level, you’ll negotiate your course start date with a doctoral degree supervisor. Generally, there isn’t a set start date for your course, as most doctoral candidates don’t attend regular classes.

Looking Forward

Studying in Australia is an exciting, life-changing opportunity. To ensure a smooth start to your journey, keep these things in mind:

• Understand key deadlines, and plan your timeline accordingly. Reach out to your target institutions’ admissions teams to understand intake and submission dates. You put a lot of work in your study abroad application, and being delayed by a semester because you missed a deadline would be disappointing.
• Apply early. Australia is a popular destination for students around the world, and popular courses can fill up quickly.
• Give yourself lots of time to get your applications ready. Assembling everything you need for your course and student visa applications can be surprisingly time-consuming. This is especially true if you need to assemble a portfolio or have any documents translated.

We wish you luck on your study abroad journey!

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