Key takeaways
- The Australian student visa is lodged online after you hold a CoE; the charge starts from AUD 2,500 for the main applicant from 1 July 2026 and is not refunded on refusal.
- First-year financial evidence: AUD 29,710 for living costs, AUD 2,000 for travel and 12 months of course fees, with additional amounts for a partner, children and school fees, as at 14 September 2026.
- The English minimum is IELTS 6.0, PTE Academic 47 or TOEFL iBT 67 for direct entry, and at-home tests are not accepted.
- Foreign government scholarship students sit in Priority 1, which Home Affairs aims to commence processing within 1 to 4 weeks under Ministerial Direction 115.
- The Genuine Student requirement is answered inside the form with a 150-word limit per question, and answers backed by documents carry more weight.
- The refusal rate reached 24.2% in June 2026, most often for weak justification, generic answers and incomplete financial evidence.
In this article
- What documents do I need for the Australian student visa?
- How much does the student visa cost, and how long does it take?
- What is the Genuine Student requirement, and how do I answer it?
- How do I add my spouse and children to the visa?
- Why are Australian student visas refused, and how do I avoid it?
- What is OSHC, and what does it cover?
- Step-by-step: applying for the Australian student visa
- Summary
The Australian Student visa (subclass 500) is lodged online once you hold a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). The application charge starts from AUD 2,500 from 1 July 2026, and the visa can run for up to 6 years in line with your course, per the Department of Home Affairs as at 14 September 2026. It is granted when you show that you are a genuine student, hold health cover, and can fund your first year. This guide sets out the documents, fees, processing times and refusal reasons with Australian Government figures and their dates.
What documents do I need for the Australian student visa?
The Department of Home Affairs generates your document list through its Document Checklist Tool based on your passport country and education provider. The tool is updated twice a year, on 31 March and 30 September, so run it again just before you lodge. The essentials that apply to every applicant:
- A Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for every course in the application; without it the application is invalid and cannot be processed. The course must be full-time and registered on CRICOS.
- A valid passport and a passport photo.
- An Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) policy with its number, start and end dates; the Department states it "will refuse your visa application" if this information is missing.
- An approved English test result taken within the two years before you apply, if the checklist asks for it (it can also be requested later during processing even if the tool did not list it).
- Evidence of financial capacity according to your evidence level.
- Your Genuine Student answers inside the application form.
- A health examination, a polio vaccination certificate if you are coming from a listed country, and biometrics if requested before travel.
- Family documents if you include a partner or children: marriage certificate, birth certificates, and evidence of school enrolment for children aged 5 to 17.
Every document not in English needs a certified translation; KD International provides translation certified by Australia’s National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) among its services. Visa guidance is also one of its services, with the caveat that the Department restricts "immigration assistance" to a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person, per its page on who can help with your application, updated 16 April 2026.
English scores required for the visa
For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, per the Department of Home Affairs as at 14 September 2026:
| Test | Direct entry | With at least 10 weeks of ELICOS or a Foundation/pathway program | With at least 20 weeks of ELICOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic or General Training | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| PTE Academic | 47 | 39 | 31 |
| TOEFL iBT | 67 | 51 | 37 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced | 161 | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| OET | 1210 | 1090 | 1020 |
At-home tests (IELTS Online, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, OET@Home and similar) are not accepted. Applicants enrolled in a standalone ELICOS course, a registered postgraduate research course, or who completed at least 5 years of study in English in specified countries are exempt from providing a test score, per the same page.
How much does the student visa cost, and how long does it take?
| Item | Amount | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Application charge, main applicant | From AUD 2,500 | Department of Home Affairs, from 1 July 2026 |
| Previous charge | AUD 2,000 | Study Australia, until 30 June 2026 |
| Each family member | An additional charge calculated in the Visa Pricing Estimator | Department of Home Affairs |
| Other costs | Health examination, police certificates, biometrics | Department of Home Affairs |
The charge is not refunded if the application is refused. A lower charge applies to standalone ELICOS and non-award applications, per the same page.
How long is processing?
The Department does not publish a fixed timeframe; it offers a processing time guide built on recently decided applications. What matters more is your priority level. Applications lodged outside Australia on or after 14 November 2025 are processed under Ministerial Direction 115 in three tiers, per the processing priorities page:
| Priority | Who it covers | Target to commence processing |
|---|---|---|
| Priority 1 | Foreign and Australian government scholarship students, PhD students, school and standalone ELICOS students, and students at providers below 80% of their allocation | Within 1 to 4 weeks |
| Priority 2 | Students at providers that have reached 80% of their allocation, and subsequent entrants without a minor | Within 5 to 8 weeks |
| Priority 3 | Students at providers that have exceeded their allocation by 15% | Within 9 to 12 weeks |
These targets are based on 2025 lodgements and "can change, particularly when lodgements increase, and in peak periods", per the same page. Your priority is set on the day you lodge according to your provider’s status, which you can check on the Department’s visa prioritisation status page before lodging. Saudi students sponsored under the King Salman Scholarship Program (برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث) or the Cultural Scholarship Program (برنامج الابتعاث الثقافي) fall under Priority 1 as foreign government scholarship students.
How much money do I need to show?
The Department of Home Affairs, as at 14 September 2026, requires evidence covering:
| Item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Travel costs for applicants outside Australia (except specified African regions) | AUD 2,000 | Department of Home Affairs |
| 12 months of course fees, less any amount already paid and evidenced by a receipt or the CoE | Per your course | Department of Home Affairs |
| 12 months of living costs, student | AUD 29,710 | Department of Home Affairs |
| 12 months of living costs, partner | AUD 10,394 | Department of Home Affairs |
| 12 months of living costs, each child | AUD 4,449 | Department of Home Affairs |
| School costs per school-age child per year (minimum) | AUD 13,502 | Department of Home Affairs |
Alternatively: evidence that your parents or partner had a personal annual income of at least AUD 87,856 in the 12 months before you apply, or AUD 102,500 if family members accompany you, shown through official government documents such as tax assessments, not bank statements. Scholarship students provide the financial guarantee letter issued by their sponsor; the Cultural Scholarship Platform, for example, notes that the financial guarantee is obtained after the application process is completed, with enquiries through the Safeer portal.
What is the Genuine Student requirement, and how do I answer it?
From 23 March 2024 the Genuine Student (GS) requirement replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement, per the Department of Home Affairs on its page updated 13 January 2026. The core difference: the new requirement "recognises that genuine students may develop skills Australia needs and may later choose to apply for permanent residence. Future intentions of this kind do not count against an applicant". What you must show is that study is the primary reason for your visa application.
The four questions in the application form
The Department prefers answers inside the form rather than an attached statement, with a limit of 150 words per response, in English, per the requirement page:
- Your current circumstances: family, community, employment and economic ties in Saudi Arabia.
- Why this course, at this provider, in Australia, showing that you understand the course requirements and what studying and living in Australia involve.
- How the course will benefit you in your career.
- Any other relevant information, plus an extra question for applicants who have previously held a student visa.
What evidence strengthens the answers?
The Department "gives more weight to statements supported by evidence", and on the same page suggests: previous academic transcripts, current employment details with a contact who can confirm them, reasons for not studying the same course in your home country if it is available there, documents showing economic activity in the 12 months before lodging, and prospective job offers after graduation (source). For a scholarship student, the scholarship decision and the financial guarantee letter are strong evidence of both circumstances and purpose. Write in your own words: template answers are a recurring refusal reason, as the next section shows.
How do I add my spouse and children to the visa?
The Department of Home Affairs defines a family member as your partner, or your or your partner’s unmarried child who has not turned 18; a child who turns 18 before the decision needs their own visa. The steps:
- Declare every family member in your application even if they will not travel with you; anyone not declared cannot join you later.
- Choose the timing: with you in the same application, or later as a subsequent entrant through ImmiAccount.
- Attach relationship evidence: marriage certificate, children’s birth certificates naming both parents, and consent from any non-travelling parent.
- Add the family to OSHC with a family policy; a family member joining later needs cover for their entire stay.
- Show school enrolment for children aged 5 to 17, and add their fees to the financial evidence.
- Health and character for each family member, with character checks for those aged 16 and over.
Study Australia notes that families pay school fees at both public and private schools, and that a partner’s work rights may differ from the student’s and are set out in the visa grant letter. Families of master by research and PhD students have no work-hour cap, per Home Affairs.
Why are Australian student visas refused, and how do I avoid it?
The Student visa refusal rate reached 24.2% in June 2026 compared with 7.9% in June 2016, per ABC News on 9 September 2026, with wide variation between nationalities. The reasons cited in that report and on the Department’s pages, and what to do about each:
| Refusal reason | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Weak justification for studying in Australia rather than at home | Name what is specific about the course and the university, and tie it to your scholarship decision or career plan |
| Generic or copied Genuine Student answers | Write about your own circumstances with examples and dates, and back every sentence with a document |
| A course that does not fit your qualifications or work history | Explain the transition clearly if you are changing field, or choose a consistent path |
| Incomplete financial evidence or unacceptable sources | Use the financial guarantee letter or official income documents, and match the figures above |
| An incomplete application (CoE, OSHC or English missing) | The Department asks for a "complete and decision-ready application"; a missing document delays or refuses it |
| Undisclosed immigration history or a previous refusal | Declare every previous application and refusal, since the Department considers immigration history |
If refused, the Department tells you the reason in writing and whether you have a right of review, and the charge is not refunded. Study Australia is clear that "no agent can guarantee the outcome of your Student visa application"; what a good agent offers is a complete file and a careful check before lodgement.
What is OSHC, and what does it cover?
Overseas Student Health Cover is a visa condition for you and your family for the whole of your stay, and it must start on the day you arrive, not the day your course starts, per the Department of Home Affairs. It covers hospital and medical treatment, ambulance services and limited pharmaceuticals, capped at AUD 50 per item and AUD 500 a year for an individual, and basic policies do not cover dental, optical or physiotherapy, per the Australian Government’s PrivateHealth.gov.au, which lists the approved insurers including Medibank, Bupa, Allianz Care, nib, ahm and CBHS. Many universities arrange the policy with your enrolment and record it on the CoE.
Step-by-step: applying for the Australian student visa
- Secure an unconditional offer, accept it and pay the first instalment to receive your CoE. See the practical steps page on our site.
- Buy OSHC starting from your expected arrival date.
- Run the Document Checklist Tool with your passport country and provider, and gather everything it lists.
- Create an ImmiAccount, complete the form, and answer the Genuine Student questions inside it.
- Attach the translated documents and pay the charge.
- Complete the health examination and biometrics if requested, and respond immediately to any request for information in ImmiAccount.
- Do not book travel before the decision, then check your visa conditions and work rights on arrival.
For scholarship students: the tracks and their conditions are in our guide to Saudi scholarship programs, and the Arruaad Track has its own article.
Summary
The Australian student visa is a file you can get right: a correct CoE, cover that starts on arrival, financial evidence at the official figures, and Genuine Student answers in your own words backed by documents. Start at least two months before your course, and earlier in peak periods. If you would like your file checked line by line before lodgement, register on the application form or reach us through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
From AUD 2,500 for the main applicant from 1 July 2026, per the Department of Home Affairs; it was AUD 2,000 before that. Each family member attracts an additional charge calculated in the Visa Pricing Estimator, and the charge is not refunded if the application is refused.
There is no fixed timeframe, but Home Affairs aims to commence processing Priority 1 applications, including foreign government scholarship students, within 1 to 4 weeks, Priority 2 within 5 to 8 weeks and Priority 3 within 9 to 12 weeks. These targets are based on 2025 lodgements and can change in peak periods.
The CoE, your passport, an OSHC policy, an approved English result if requested, financial evidence, the Genuine Student answers, a health examination, and family documents if you include a partner or children. The exact list comes from the Document Checklist Tool for your passport country and provider.
Home Affairs requires evidence of AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs for the student, AUD 2,000 for travel and 12 months of course fees less any amount paid, plus AUD 10,394 for a partner, AUD 4,449 per child and at least AUD 13,502 in school fees per child, as at 14 September 2026. Alternatively, a parent’s or partner’s annual income of at least AUD 87,856.
It replaced the GTE requirement on 23 March 2024 and asks you to show that study is the primary reason for your visa through four questions in the form, each limited to 150 words: your current circumstances, why this course at this provider, how it benefits you, and any other information. Future intentions to seek permanent residence do not count against you.
Yes. A partner and unmarried children under 18 can be included in the same application or apply later as subsequent entrants, provided all of them are declared in your original application. Each needs OSHC, and children aged 5 to 17 need evidence of school enrolment.
According to ABC News in September 2026 and the Department’s pages: weak justification for studying in Australia, generic or copied Genuine Student answers, a course that does not fit the applicant’s background, incomplete financial evidence, an incomplete application, and undisclosed immigration history.
IELTS 6.0 for direct entry, 5.5 with at least 10 weeks of ELICOS or a Foundation program, or 5.0 with at least 20 weeks of ELICOS, per the Department of Home Affairs as at 14 September 2026. The test must be taken at a secure test centre within the two years before you apply.
Official sources
- Subclass 500 Student visa — Department of Home Affairs (Australia)
- Genuine Student requirement — Department of Home Affairs (Australia)
- Student visa processing priorities — Department of Home Affairs (Australia)
- Who can help with your visa application — Department of Home Affairs (Australia)
- Student Visa Application Charge increase — Study Australia (Australian Government)
- Bringing your family — Study Australia (Australian Government)
- How to choose the right education agent for you — Study Australia (Australian Government)
- Overseas Student Health Cover — PrivateHealth.gov.au (Australian Government)
- CRICOS — Australian Government Department of Education
- Australian student visa refusal rate hits 10-year high — ABC News
- منصة الابتعاث الثقافي — وزارة الثقافة السعودية
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Last updated: 14 September 2026. Fees and requirements change; always confirm with the official source before deciding.
