Given Australia's close proximity to Hong Kong, it is a popular destination for local students. Australia has a reputation for quality teaching and research and high academic standards.
The Australian lifestyle is a big drawcard for overseas students. It is a modern, technologically advanced and politically stable country with spacious living conditions. There are 38 public and two private universities in Australia, each varies in size from 3,000 to 39,000 students. The oldest one is the University of Sydney, which was established in 1850.
Some of University of Sydney's more famous graduates are Jane Campion, film director; Sir John Cornforth, Nobel prize winner (Chemistry); Dr John Harsanyi, Nobel prize winner (Economics); John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia; James Wolfenson, World Bank president and Dr Paul Scully- Power, NASA astronaut.
Bond University, Australia's first private university, was incorporated in 1987 and began teaching in May 1989.
Policy, standards and controls are centralised for all institutions through a system of Federal and State government funding. Self-accrediting universities must list their courses in the Register of Australian Tertiary Education. Courses offered to overseas students must first be entered on Department of Education Training and Youth Affairs' (DETYA) Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) list.
Universities which offer courses at undergraduate levels award diplomas, associate diplomas and bachelor degrees. Students can opt for a general degree or double degree in the modular-based system.
