Top reasons to study and live in Darwin

The Australian government is encouraging skilled workers to regional areas given the congestion and over population in larger cities like Sydney and Melbourne. The recent visa changes reflect this; encouraging students to study and work in regional areas and with priority processing on regional visas.

Additional incentives include 15 points for the 491 provisional regional visa or 5 points for and the additional years of post-study working rights for those on a graduate visa. This gives the student the chance to gain valuable Australian work experience and decide how they like this experience before going through the process of permanent residency applications.

Find out more about how Darwin in particular, is likely to surprise and delight you.

After studying a bachelor's degree, you will be granted 4 years of post-study working rights, whilst a Master's degree and a PhD will attract 5 and 6 years of working rights respectively. These fantastic benefits enable valuable work experience in Australia. It’s important to note that the state or territory granting your Visa requires you to stay and work in the state or territory where your visa is granted.

For your visa subclass 491 application, you will have access to the Regional Occupations List with 77 more jobs than non-regional skilled lists. This could potentially be an easier way of gaining permanent residency on the 491 visa rather than meeting the higher points requirement of visa subclass 189.

Discover the world famous, heritage listed Uluru National park. Learn about the history of the iconic rock formation, the ancient wisdom, diverse plant and animal life. Uluru is spectacular to visit at sunrise and sunset. Darwin is surrounded by inspiring nature. You will be delighted with an all year-round warm climate whilst exploring stunning nature like deserts, swimming holes and amazing nature walks.

Darwin is more affordable than Sydney or Melbourne in terms of living costs like rent and dining out. It is also less crowded, so you can enjoy been in exotic tropical surrounds without all the fuss of crowds and expensive rent. Check out our cost-of-living calculator for an estimate.

Charles Darwin University has 4 campuses in the Northern Territory. Charles Darwin is a respected university, with its main campus set in the heart of tropical Darwin. A strong benefit of CDU is their flexible study arrangements; they offer flexible part time or full-time options. Accommodation is available and is a good option to be well integrated into the university life. The student support at CDU is comprehensive and can help you with study skills and any other matters concerning student life.

Smaller class sizes allow you to focus on studies and kick start your career in a positive way. Benefit from a close contact with lecturers as a means of focusing in on your career ambitions and direction. Smaller class sizes enable you to build a support network of friends and a job network that could be helpful post studies.

Keen to explore your study options in Darwin?

Are you considering studying in a regional area and need more info on this? Why not call into your local IDP office, or call us on 1800 664 700. Alternatively submit your details on the form and an education counsellor will contact you back at a convenient time.