Check out our guide to housing options for international students in Australia
“A house is made with walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Moving to Australia is an exciting, fun-filled experience that comes with its fair share of questions on housing options. Hence in this article, we will ease the process by guiding you through some of the most popular housing options available in the sunshine country. Also, if you plan to study in Canada, you’d definitely want to read this article that tells you all about housing options in Canada.
Firstly, we understand that safety is a top priority for an individual while they look for housing. There are a lot of safe and secure accommodation options available in Australia. We will explore all the different factors involved in selecting an accommodation choice that best suits your needs, such as budget considerations and proximity to campus, whilst keeping safety firmly in mind. It is also advised that international students should arrange for a few days of temporary accommodation in case you plan to live off-campus and need more time to look for a home after landing in Australia.
On-Campus Student Residences/Dormitories
On-campus housing is one of the best accommodation options for international students, especially a first-year student when everything is unfamiliar. The proximity to lecture and dining halls will make your life easier- giving you more time to study and participate in university activities. On-campus dorms have all the essential facilities such as kitchen areas, refrigerators, common entertainment lounges, laundry rooms, and gymnasiums. There are usually separate dorms for undergraduates and graduates. The dorms are managed directly by the university housing department which means your housing contracts will be secure and your lease terms would be shorter. The rooms come furnished with an option to add-on a meal plan which means hot meals are available at any hour of the day. These meal plans have proven to be quite useful especially during exams when study hours tend to become intensive.
College dorms in Australia are in huge demand these days while the number of units available is very limited. I would thus recommend that you apply for these units as soon as your plans to study at the university are finalised.
Off-campus private accommodation
Many students prefer staying in off-campus rented accommodations for reasons such as proximity to their workplace and lack of certain restrictions that they might encounter in a university residence. However, it takes a lot more research and time to find the best place for you at an affordable price. Affordable housing can be really hard to come by in metro cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane. Shared independent houses tend to be lighter on the pocket and most students prefer these due to budget constraints. However, sharing apartments with too many students can lead to a drop in your academic productivity so it all boils down to your individual preference. Off-campus housing also means that now your maintenance and contract are completely dependent on your landlord who will ask you for a security deposit – whereas university contracts usually don’t.
Another popular accommodation choice in Australia is a private homestay. You will have an opportunity to live and experience the local culture with an Australian family while you are studying and have the support of a family while living away from home. University housing departments usually have a list of reliable homestays with them to recommend to students in case the dorms fill up. This is truly a great opportunity to learn more about Australia and understand their culture and traditions.
To conclude, applying early for a university residence unit would help you find secure and reliable accommodation while you are settling down in a new country. This is not to mention that staying in a university residence will help you connect, make friends and further participate in university life. However, if you wish to stay off-campus then I would recommend a university-approved homestay over independent shared houses any day.
I hope you found this article useful. In case of any further doubts, I’d be happy to assist you with all your concerns. Please share them via the comment box below and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
