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Australia Student Visa (Subclass 500) for Indian Students: GS, Funds, Documents and Timeline

The student visa (subclass 500) lets you study a registered full-time course in Australia for up to five years, six in some cases. You apply online from India once a university has issued your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). The charge is A$2,500 for the main applicant from 1 July 2026, and the decision rests on three things: a genuine plan to study, enough money, and enough English.

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  • ₹1.7 lakhvisa charge from 1 July 2026
  • ₹20 lakhliving funds for 12 months
  • 16 daysmedian higher-education decision
  • IELTS 6.0visa English minimum

Who can apply

Anyone aged six or over with a CoE for a full-time course on the national CRICOS register, Overseas Student Health Cover for the whole stay, and a genuine intention to study. The CoE must be valid both when you lodge and when Home Affairs decides. If you package courses, such as English or a foundation year before a degree, each one needs its own CoE, and the last course in the package is the main course used to judge your money and English.

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Expect a call or a WhatsApp message from an Edumapple adviser within one working day. You pay nothing for that first consultation.

  • Courses your marks and degree qualify for
  • Tuition and the visa living funds, counted in rupees
  • GS answers, visa timing and your 485 plan
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The application, step by step

  1. Offer and CoE

    Accept the offer, pay what the university asks (usually the first semester's tuition) and buy Overseas Student Health Cover; the university issues the CoE.

  2. Document checklist

    Run Home Affairs' Document Checklist Tool for your country and university: it tells you whether to attach financial and English evidence when you lodge.

  3. Lodge in ImmiAccount

    Answer the four Genuine Student questions (150 words each), upload passport, CoE, academic records, funds and English evidence, and pay A$2,500.

  4. Biometrics and health

    Give biometrics if asked and complete any health examinations Home Affairs requests.

  5. Decision

    In 2026, half of higher-education applications were decided within 16 days and 90% within four months.

  6. Travel

    Health cover must start on the day you arrive, not the day the course starts.

Rules that changed on 2 October 2026

  • Most temporary visa holders, including visitors and working holiday makers, can no longer apply for a student visa inside Australia.
  • Most students can no longer include a partner or children, and family members cannot join later as subsequent entrants.
  • Exemptions cover doctoral students, Pacific and ASEAN nationals, fully funded foreign-government scholars, DFAT and Defence students, and current students who need up to twelve more months or move to a higher-level course.
  • If you apply from outside Australia, you must also be outside Australia when the visa is granted.

How long the visa lasts

Usually the length of the course plus two months, or to 15 March of the next year for a course of ten months or more that ends in November or December. Research students get six months more for thesis marking. The visa end date is set by your CoE and your health cover dates and cannot be changed after grant.

Conditions once you arrive

Stay enrolled, attend and pass, keep health cover current, and work no more than 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session; see working while studying. Breaking the work or study conditions can lead to cancellation.

Processing and priority

Offshore applications are handled under Ministerial Direction 115 from 14 November 2025: applications for universities that are still within their share of the national planning level are processed first. In practice, an application for a well-placed university lodged in good time is decided within weeks. See the national planning level.

Questions from Indian students: Australian student visa

How much is the Australian student visa fee for Indians?
A$2,500 for the main applicant from 1 July 2026. It was A$2,000 from July 2025. Indian citizens do not qualify for the lower charge that ASEAN and Pacific nationals pay.
How much bank balance is needed for an Australian student visa?
Enough for twelve months of tuition, A$29,710 of living costs and travel (A$2,000 from India). Instead, parents can show a personal income of at least A$87,856 a year through tax assessments less than twelve months old.
What IELTS score do I need for the visa?
IELTS Academic 6.0 overall, or 5.5 with at least ten weeks of English study packaged before the degree, or 5.0 with twenty weeks. PTE Academic 47 and TOEFL iBT 67 are the equivalents for tests taken from 7 August 2025. Your university may ask for more.
Can I bring my spouse on a student visa?
Since 2 October 2026 most students cannot include family members. Doctoral students, fully funded foreign-government scholars and a few other groups are exempt.
Can I apply for a student visa from inside Australia?
Since 2 October 2026, most visitors and other temporary visa holders cannot. Current students can apply onshore only under listed exemptions, such as continuing to a higher-level course.

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