English Language Institutes in Australia: Length, Cost, Choice

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English language institutes in Australia run intensive programs known as ELICOS, from a few weeks to a full year depending on your level and goal. In Sydney, tuition sits between AUD 380 and AUD 460 per week according to the ILSC 2026 price list, and, most importantly, finishing an academic level at a partner institute can get you into university without sitting IELTS.

What is ELICOS, and why must the institute be registered?

The official name for English courses for international students in Australia is English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). Study Australia groups them into General English, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English for Specific Purposes such as business, health and law, exam preparation for IELTS, TOEFL and Cambridge, teacher-training courses and study tours.

What separates an institute from any other language centre is that an ELICOS course is accredited by the Australian Government for study on a student visa, which gives you the same protections a university student has. To check, look up the institute and the course code on CRICOS, the government register of every institution and course a student visa holder may enrol in.

Two further quality signals are worth asking about: membership of, the peak body for the ELICOS sector with more than 120 member colleges as at September 2026, and quality endorsement by NEAS, granted after a review of the institute against its quality framework.

How long does it take to learn English in Australia?

There is no single answer; the length is built from your current level and the score your university requires. Institutes divide the curriculum into levels of fixed weeks, and after a placement test they recommend how many levels you need.

Program	Length	What it leads to	Source
Academic English at Navitas English	4 levels, 10 weeks each, 20 hours a week plus 5 elective hours	Direct entry to more than 70 higher education partners	Navitas English
University Pathway at ILSC	Minimum 8 weeks, and at least 2 levels of English for Academic Purposes	Transfer to more than 35 partner higher education institutions	ILSC
Monash English at Monash College	10, 15 or 20 week options	Entry to Monash University or its diplomas without IELTS, conditions apply	Monash College
General English at LSI Brisbane	20 lessons a week (50 minutes each), or Intensive 30 lessons	General skills, or IELTS and Cambridge preparation	LSI

The practical rule: first pin down the score your university asks for (the University of Sydney, for example, requires IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0 for postgraduate coursework as at September 2026), then take the institute’s placement test, and only then will you know the number of weeks.

How much do English language institutes in Australia cost?

Fees are charged per week and fall as the booking gets longer. An example from an official published 2026 price list:

Length of study (morning program, 20 hours a week)	Fee per week	Source
1 to 11 weeks	AUD 460	ILSC Sydney 2026
12 to 23 weeks	AUD 440	ILSC Sydney 2026
24 weeks or more	AUD 420	ILSC Sydney 2026
Afternoon or evening program (any length)	AUD 380	ILSC Sydney 2026

Add a registration fee of AUD 250 and materials (AUD 60 for four weeks or fewer, then AUD 15 a week capped at AUD 450) per the same list. That puts 10 morning weeks at roughly AUD 5,000 in tuition alone. Prices vary by institute and city, so check the current list of the institute you choose.

Costs outside institute fees

• Student visa application fee: from AUD 2,500 per application since 1 July 2026, per Study Australia.
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the whole stay, a visa condition per the same page.
• Accommodation and living costs, which differ widely between cities.

Can an institute certificate replace IELTS for university entry?

Yes, if the institute has a direct entry agreement with the university you want. The university accepts completion of a set level at the institute in place of a language test, provided you meet the other admission requirements.

• Navitas English publishes its list of agreements, which includes universities such as Macquarie, Curtin, Griffith, La Trobe, Newcastle, South Australia, Western Sydney, Tasmania and Flinders; one example condition is 60% in Academic English 3 with no skill below 55%, equivalent to IELTS 6.0 at several partners.
• ILSC says its University Pathway transfers you to partner colleges and universities without IELTS or TOEFL.
• Monash College requires you to finish Monash English within 12 months of the start of your destination course.
• Some universities run their own centre; the University of Sydney accepts completion of a relevant course at its Centre for English Teaching as proof of proficiency.

One caution: an agreement is between a specific institute and a specific university, so never assume any institute’s certificate is accepted anywhere. Ask: does this institute hold a direct entry agreement with my university and my program?

Does the Saudi scholarship accept English study at an institute?

There are two sides: the Australian visa and the scholarship rules.

On the visa side, you can study English on its own on a student visa without a test score. According to, the English setting for ELICOS-only students did not change, while the minimum for a student visa for degree study rose to IELTS 6.0, and for English packaged with a main course (packaged ELICOS) to IELTS 5.0, for applications lodged from 23 March 2024.

On the scholarship side, the Ministry of Education’s answer states that the King Salman Scholarship Program (برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث) does not include an English language year in countries where study is in English, as at September 2026. That matches the track conditions: the Pioneers track (مسار الرواد) requires a final, unconditional offer from the university’s admissions office, and an offer conditional on language study is accepted only in non-English-speaking countries; the same applies to the Emdad track. In practice, English study in Australia is self-funded and comes before the unconditional offer you submit to the scholarship, so check the current conditions on the Safeer platform before you plan.

You will find every track and its conditions in our guide to Saudi scholarship programs, from King Salman to the cultural scholarship.

How do you choose the right institute?

1. Start from the university, not the institute: fix the program and the language score required, then choose an institute with a direct entry agreement with that university.
2. Verify the institute and course on CRICOS.
3. Pick the city where your university is, which saves you a second move and a second lease.
4. Compare weekly hours and class size; Navitas English, for instance, caps classes at 18 students.
5. Ask for the official current-year price list with registration and materials fees, and cost the number of weeks the placement test recommends.
6. Ask about start dates: some institutes start levels every week, others on fixed dates.

KD International describes itself as the first intermediary between Saudi students and Australian universities, and its advertised services include language programs and institute admissions. The company has announced partnerships with LSI (a discount for KD students) and Navitas (academic pathway programs), and on 30 September 2025 it hosted a delegation from ILSC to discuss cooperation, according to its X account. We help you match an institute to your university and handle the admission steps; the admission decision remains with the institute and the university.

Your practical next step: send us the university and program you are aiming for and any previous language test result through the application form, or contact us so we can set the institute and length with you, and see how our process works from consultation to offer.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• English courses — Study Australia (Australian Government)
• Student visa (subclass 500) — Study Australia (Australian Government)
• CRICOS – Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students — Australian Government Department of Education
• Sydney price list 2026 — ILSC
• University Pathway – Australia — ILSC
• Academic English — Navitas English
• Direct Entry Agreements — Navitas English
• Monash English — Monash College
• Learn English in Brisbane — LSI – Language Studies International
• English language requirements – international students — The University of Sydney
• هل يشمل الابتعاث دراسة سنة لغة إنجليزية للدول التي دراستها بالإنجليزية؟ — وزارة التعليم السعودية – برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث

Last updated: 14 September 2026. Fees and requirements change; always confirm with the official source before deciding.