Study abroad and exchange at UNSW Sydney

Choose from one of the following options: 

You can refer to the Academic Calendar for Study Abroad for more term dates.

Country entry requirements

• General: UNSW WAM 65 or equivalent 
• USA: 2.7 GPA (B-)
• Europe: C grade on ECTS system
• China: Non-211: 70% UNSW WAM equivalent,
• 211: 65% UNSW WAM equivalent

English requirements 

You may be asked to provide evidence of your English proficiency to study at UNSW depending on your educational background and citizenship.

Gap year students

If you have completed high school or secondary level you are eligible to apply to UNSW Study Abroad. Please note you must have received your high school results before you apply.  Gap year students applications will be assessed similarly to any other high-school graduate. Contact us for more information.

You can study almost any course at UNSW as long as you have the required background knowledge.  You may also be able to take Practice of Work to gain industry experience.  A complete list of courses can be viewed in the UNSW Handbook.

We recommend you check our Online Timetable to ensure that your chosen courses are available. Enrolment is subject to course availability and your academic background. It is important to be flexible with your choices as some fill up quickly or may not be offered in a particular term.

You can also access the most up-to-date versions of UNSW Course Outlines via our brand-new search engine here. Each year, the final Handbook is published in (late-September/early-October) so the most up-to-date document may be from the current year or earlier.

Tuition fees for Study Abroad students are paid directly to UNSW. Most courses at UNSW are worth 6 units of credit (UOC). Students enrol in three (3) such courses in a Standard Term, four (4) in a Tailored Term or eight (8) across a Year-long program.

It is important that students check with their home institution about their home university’s enrolment requirements before choosing a study plan to apply for.

*Standard Terms at UNSW are Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3.

Tuition fees are subject to change each calendar year. If your study plan bridges across multiple years, you may experience a variation in fees for courses studied in the second year.

Some courses at UNSW may incur additional fees that are not included in Tuition – eg lab fees, field trips, personal safety equipment (eg safety glasses, boots, overalls etc, for compliance with Australian Work Health and Safety Act) or extra materials (eg drawing or painting materials for Art and Design courses).

If you study abroad in Australia, you are required by the Australian government to have OSHC medical insurance for the duration of your student visa (with the exception of Norwegian, Swedish and Belgium passport holders). Details of this insurance are provided to students on their acceptance.  UNSW will then send you a certificate of enrolment (CoE), the document required to apply for a study visa.  You should confirm your visa and book your travel to Sydney to arrive in time for orientation.  

You may wish to apply for one of the Student Accommodation Providers, on-campus housing options or choose to live off campus and enjoy the beautiful suburbs that surround UNSW. Sydney is a safe city, with public transport connecting the UNSW campuses, beaches, and city centre.

Student Accommodation Providers

Sydney has several accommodation providers catering specially to students. These providers are located around Sydney – generally around 20-50 minutes by public transport from the UNSW campus. These options offer high-quality rooms with extra services and Facilities. Options include Iglu and Scape.

Off-campus Housing

If you are looking to live off campus, we have lots of information to help you make an informed decision. If you choose to live off-campus, we recommend you arrive at least two weeks prior to orientation to have enough time to find the right place. Accommodation is a matter of personal choice and often depends on personal preferences and circumstances. 

On-campus Housing

UNSW has several on-campus options, including Colleges and Apartments that range from full board, partially catered and self-catered along with options for male only, female only or mixed accommodation.  More information on accommodation options, fees, advice, applications, and resources is available here.  Please note on-campus accommodation is limited.

Students currently enrolled at one of our partner universities can apply for the UNSW Exchange program and need to be nominated by the Exchange Office at their home university.  

Entry requirements

Equivalent to either a credit average or 3.0 GPA  

English requirements 

You may be asked to provide evidence of your English proficiency to study at UNSW depending on your educational background and citizenship.  If English is not your first language, you will need to provide proof of your English proficiency at time of application.  You can do this by providing evidence that you meet one of UNSW’s approved criteria. 

UNSW offers a wide breadth of courses for students across six faculties:

• Arts, Design & Architecture
• Business
• Engineering
• Law & Justice
• Science
• Medicine & Health (students cannot enrol in clinical Medicine courses)

A full listing of the UNSW courses on offer can be viewed in the UNSW Handbook.  

While most Faculties will accept suitably qualified exchange students, in some areas restrictions do apply and you should refer to the Exchange Factsheet for details. 

You can study almost any course at UNSW Sydney as long as you have the required background knowledge. Enrolment is subject to course availability along with delivery mode and it’s important to be flexible with your course choice. 

You can study across multiple faculties/schools and should choose the level appropriate to you.  We recommend you also check our Timetable to ensure that your chosen courses are available. 

Students are required to enrol in a full-time load and need to be available for the entire exam period. You can refer to the academic calendar for details. 

Exchange has two application deadlines per year: 

You are required by the Australian government to have OSHC medical insurance for the duration of your student visa with the exception of Norwegian, Swedish and Belgium passport holders. Details are provided to students on their acceptance.  UNSW will then send you a certificate of enrolment (CoE), the document required to apply for a study visa.  You should confirm your visa and book your travel to Sydney to arrive in time for orientation. 

Most students at UNSW live off campus.  Live by the beach or in the beautiful suburbs surrounding the UNSW campus, such as Coogee, Clovelly, Maroubra and the iconic Bondi Beach.  Sydney is a safe city, with public transport connecting the UNSW campuses, beaches, and city centre.

Off-campus Housing

If you are looking to live off campus, we have lots of information to help you make an informed decision. If you choose to live off-campus, we recommend you arrive at least two weeks prior to orientation to have enough time to find the right place. Accommodation is a matter of personal choice and often depends on personal preferences and circumstances. 

Student Accommodation Providers

Sydney has several accommodation providers catering specially to students. These providers are located around Sydney – generally around 20-50 minutes by public transport from the UNSW campus. These options offer high-quality rooms with extra services and facilities. Options include Iglu, Scpate, Switch and Unilodge.

On-campus Housing

A number of colleges are situated on the UNSW Kensington campus.  Each college has its own application and enrolment process.  You need to apply directly to each accommodation of interest separately. More information is available here.  Please note on-campus accommodation is very limited.

Application fee: AUD $330

Tuition fee: AUD $1,000 per term (4 month period). 

You must:

• Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree
• Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent) and provide evidence of English proficiency as per the UNSW’s English language requirements
• Have made contact with a UNSW academic staff member who is willing to supervise you at UNSW.

On arrival you will be required to register your attendance at Study Abroad and Exchange Office within 5 days of your arrival.

You will then be provided with information to start your study at UNSW and ensure you are correctly enrolled.