With nine Australian universities ranked within the top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2025, there’s little doubt that an education here is a good one.
Of these nine, international students in the country’s #1 university — the University of Melbourne — can pay up to 57,928 Australian dollars (US$24,285) for a bachelor’s degree, and up to AU$62,560 (US$40,506) for a bachelor’s degree with honours per year.
This is perhaps on the higher end of estimations, given that an average bachelor’s degree in Australia ranges from AU$20,000 (US$12,949) to AU$45,000 (US$29,136) per year.
Finding the cheapest universities in Australia is easier than fishing in high tide — trust us. Source: AFP
Regardless, it can be quite the sum, especially when you factor in your average monthly cost of living of AU$1,400 to AU$2,500 (US$906 to US$1,618) to cover all their living expenses, including accommodation, food, and social activities.
One way to get around coughing up this amount of money? Exploring the cheapest universities in Australia for international students.
Disclaimer: Certain degrees, especially medical, dental, and veterinary ones, tend to cost significantly more due to the stringent teaching requirements. For example, the University of Melbourne’s Bachelor of Oral Health programme costs AU$75,696 per year. Our following list will cover the degrees outside of these programmes unless stated otherwise.
9 cheapest universities in Australia for international students, in reverse order:
There is a way to afford your studies in the Land Down Under, and it’s at the cheapest universities in Australia. Source: The University of Notre Dame, Australia Facebook
1. The University of Notre Dame, Australia
The University of Notre Dame, Australia, doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. It stands as one of the best in the country, and if you don’t believe that, let the students tell you so — after all, they did rate the university five stars across the board for Learner Engagement, Skills Development, Full-Time Employment, and Graduate Salary on the Good Universities Guide 2025.
A bachelor’s degree here costs between AU$31,050 and AU$39,943 (US$20,104 and US$25,862) per year, which is what we’re starting with on this list of cheapest universities in Australia.
You can definitely make your studies here more affordable by applying for one of the university’s various scholarships. One of the standout ones is the Notre Dame International Welcome Scholarship (Undergraduate), which awards a 25% annual fee reduction for the duration of your programme.
2. Charles Darwin University
No matter if you choose to study at Charles Darwin University’s (CDU) Darwin, Casuarina, Palmerston, Alice Springs, or Sydney locations, your education will still be top-notch. Point proven: 81% of undergraduate students had full-time work four months after completing their programme, and at one of the cheapest universities in Australia, no less.
Don’t believe us? A bachelor’s degree here costs between AU$27,096 to AU$35,816 (US$11,359 to US$23,190) a year.
It’s easy to make your studies here more affordable too, given the range of scholarships available. One of them is the CDU Global Merit Scholarship, available to international students who meet the university’s academic criteria. Through it, you’ll receive a 30% tuition coverage.
You don’t have to look too hard for the cheapest universities in Australia thanks to our list. Source: AFP
3. University of Southern Queensland
University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) is a medium-sized university located in Toowoomba, Queensland, but don’t look down on its size, because the Good Universities Guide 2025 rated UniSQ
five out of five stars for undergraduates in full-time employment.
The annual tuition fees for this university cost around AU$26,960 to AU$37,080 (US$17,456 to US$24,008).
Besides, UniSQ offers a range of scholarships targeted at international students as well. Take the International Student Support Scholarship – 2025, for example. This scholarship is based on meeting the entry requirements for the programme of study and maintaining satisfactory academic performance for the duration of your study at UniSQ. Here, you’ll be awarded a maximum value of 15% of the tuition fees for your programme.
4. University of the Sunshine Coast
Located in Queensland, the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) is ranked first in Australia for graduate employment with its undergraduates in the Engineering and Technology fields. Beyond this, expect to be supported in various ways, too — UniSC has supported its students in selling feature films to Netflix and giving startups the boost they need to succeed through an accelerator programme.
Annually, international students can expect to pay between AU$26,750 to AU$32,420 (US$17,320 to US$20,991) for a bachelor’s degree.
Better yet, UniSC has some really good scholarships available too, like the International Student Scholarship, which automactically grants those offered a position in the school a 15% tuition fee reduction to those commencing in 2025, and the English Excellence Scholarship, which grants those who achieved higher than required results in a recognised English language proficiency test a 20% tuitoin fee reduction.
The cheapest universities in Australia can even be found in the country’s biggest cities. Source: AFP
5. Federation University Australia
Federation University Australia(FedUni) is Victoria’s premier regional university. On their site, they state that they’re #1 in Victoria for undergraduate starting salaries, and that 80% of their undergraduates were in full-time employment four to six months after graduating.
International students pursuing a bachelor’s degree here can expect to pay annual fees ranging from AU$26,600 to AU$39,500 (US$17,223 to US$25,575).
FedUni has a few scholarships for international students too, like the government-funded Federation Excellence Scholarship. Offered to eligible high-achieving international students applying for undergraduate degrees, this scholarship awards the equivalent of 20% of your annual tuition fees for the duration of your course. To maintain the scholarship, you must maintain a GPA of at least five while studying.
6. University of New England Australia
The University of New England Australia (UNE) is the only Australian public university awarded the maximum five stars for Overall Experience 19 years in a row by the Good Universities Guide (2007 – 2025). On top of that, the guide also awarded the university five stars for its Graduate Employment, rating it among the top 20% of universities in its list.
International students can expect to pay yearly fees for their undergraduate programmes that range from AU$26,544 to AU$34,800 (US$17,186 to US$22,532).
Even better, UNE has many forms of financial assistance, like accommodation scholarships and bursaries. In 2025, the university will provide eligible commencing international students a bursary in the form of a 20% fee reduction of the published 2025 annual international tuition fees for your first year of study.
7. Australian Catholic University
The Australian Catholic University may be young — it ranked within the top 100 young universities in the world by Times Higher Education in 2024 — but they sure aren’t losing out to the older institutions in the country. They rank in the top four in Australia for annual salary for their international undergraduate students and in the top three for our international postgraduate students in the 2023 Graduate Outcomes Survey.
The annual cost of tuition here is between AU$26,040 and AU$32,736 (US$16,860 and US$21,196).
If you’re applying here, be sure to check out the scholarships for international students. One of them is the ACU International Student Scholarship, which covers half of the full-time programme fees for incoming students.
8. Southern Cross University
In 2024, QS Rankings declared Southern Cross University (SCU) the Most Improved University in Oceania, having seen it rise more than 200 places in the previous five years. The university also boasted a 91% employment rate for its undergraduates in 2021-2022, according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022.
The annual cost of an undergraduate programme at SCU ranges from AU$25,000 to AU$36,000 (US$16,187 to US$23,309), so it’s no surprise that it’s on our list of cheapest universities in Australia for international students.
You can make your education here even more affordable by applying for one of the university’s many scholarships. For example, the Destination Australia scholarship is designed to support students to undertake their university degree in regional Australia and awards you AU$7,500 to AU$45,000 (US$4,856 to AU$29,136) per year for up to three years.
9. Charles Sturt University
No matter which one of the five campuses you choose to study at Charles Sturt University, your future is pretty secure. According to the Good Universities Guide 2024/25, 89% of the university’s undergraduates find full-time employment within four months of graduating, giving Charles Sturt the crown for being the #1 public university in Australia for graduates who get jobs.
A bachelor’s degree here costs between AU$23,760 to AU$36,320 (US$15,384 to US$23,516) a year, which easily makes Charles Sturt #1 on this list of the cheapest universities in Australia. However, the Bachelor of Veterinary Biology / Bachelor of Veterinary Science costs AU$69,600 per year.
One of the most generous scholarships Charles Sturt has for incoming international students is the 2025 Launch Merit Scholarship. This scholarship recognises and rewards excellence for eligible students applying to study at the university, awarding a 30% tuition fee reduction throughout the entire duration of the course.
Disclaimer: This article was last updated on June 13, 2025.
