Australian Colleges

There are many colleges in Australia both private and state run offering a variety courses in many different fields at different levels of education so it is important to know what you are applying for and that the course you take suits your future goals. GetSet can help you understand whats on offer at Australian colleges and help you find which ones are right for you.

What is a TAFE college?

In Australia, TAFE stands for Technical and Further Education. Institutes of TAFE offer mostly vocational tertiary courses leading to diplomas and certificates under the National Training System, the Australian system for vocational education training (VET), under the Australian Qualifications Framework.

What Can I study at a TAFE College?

Courses in a wide range of fields can be studied at most TAFE colleges. These include business, finance, hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, visual arts, information technology and community work.

Some TAFE colleges specialize only in specific areas such as culinary arts, hospitality and tourism or technical skills such engineering and electronics.

Are Australian colleges public or private?

There are both. There are many state run multi-campus TAFE colleges in every Australian state.

There are also many private colleges that offer vocational courses as well as bridging and foundation programmes such as Taylors College that lead to either year one or two entry at a university. These can vary in quality so contact your nearest GetSet office to find which one will most suit your needs.

Can I progress to a university with a diploma from an Australian college?

Some Australian colleges are in direct partnership with one or more universities meaning that successful completion of a diploma level courses leads to direct entry into an Australian university. For example Martin College has agreements with the following universities allowing you, in most cases, to jump right into the second year of a degree program.

  • Bond University
  • Charles Stuart University
  • Griffith University
  • University of Southern Queensland
  • Queensland University of Technology