In 60 seconds: Australia's Subclass 500 student visa now costs AUD 2,500 for most applicants, and you must show AUD 29,710 a year in living funds on top of tuition. Get the Confirmation of Enrolment, the Genuine Student statement, English score and health cover right first — a refusal costs the fee and follows you to the next application.
- Subclass 500 is Australia's only student visa route, and it starts with a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from a CRICOS-registered institution.
- From July 1, 2026, the main application charge is AUD 2,500 (about USD 1,750 at October 2026 rates); ELICOS and some ASEAN/Pacific applicants pay AUD 2,050.
- You must show genuine access to AUD 29,710 a year for living costs, plus first-year tuition and travel — partner AUD 10,394, each child AUD 4,449.
- Students can work up to 48 hours per fortnight during term, with no limit during scheduled course breaks.
- The fee is non-refundable even if the visa is refused, so check every figure against the Department of Home Affairs pricing estimator before you pay.
The University of Sydney's Main Quadrangle. Photo: tolomea, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY).
Honestly, Australia's student visa looks simple on the surface — one visa, one form, one fee. The refusals tell a different story. Most of them come down to four proof points the Department of Home Affairs checks every time: genuine intent to study, enough money, an English score that clears the bar, and health cover locked in before you land. Miss one, and the application stalls or gets refused outright — and the AUD 2,500 fee doesn't come back.
Here's the full picture for 2026, with every number dated and sourced so you can check it yourself before you lodge.
What Subclass 500 is — and who it covers
Subclass 500 is the visa that lets international students study full-time at a registered Australian institution — universities, vocational (VET) colleges, schools, and English-language (ELICOS) courses all sit under it. There is no separate "undergraduate visa" or "masters visa" to hunt for; if you're studying in Australia, this is the route.
Before anything else, you need a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE): your institution issues it after you accept an offer and pay any required deposit, and it confirms you're enrolled in a CRICOS-registered course. No CoE, no valid application — that's the first gate, and it's the one that trips up students who apply before their offer is finalized.
The second gate is the Genuine Student (GS) requirement, which replaced the older Genuine Temporary Entrant test in 2024. In practice, this means a written statement plus evidence showing you genuinely intend to study: why this course, why this institution, how it fits your past study or work, and what you plan to do afterward. Weak, generic GS statements are consistently cited as a top refusal reason. Write yours specifically — a copy-paste paragraph about "loving Australia" won't carry it.
The 2026 numbers: fees, funds, and what they mean in USD
Fees rose on July 1, 2026, so older guides quoting AUD 1,600 or AUD 2,000 are out of date. Here's the current table — figures are in Australian dollars, with approximate USD equivalents at October 2026 rates (about USD 0.70 per AUD) so U.S.-based readers can budget. Always confirm your exact total in the Home Affairs pricing estimator before paying, since family-member charges and course types change the total.
| Item | 2026 figure (AUD) | Approx. USD |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant application charge | 2,500 | ~1,750 |
| ELICOS / non-award / eligible ASEAN, Pacific, Timor-Leste applicant | 2,050 | ~1,435 |
| Living-cost funds to show (student, 12 months) | 29,710 | ~20,800 |
| Living-cost funds (partner) | 10,394 | ~7,275 |
| Living-cost funds (each child) | 4,449 | ~3,115 |
The living-cost figure is the one people underestimate. AUD 29,710 is on top of your first 12 months of tuition and your travel costs — not instead of them. Evidence can be savings, an education loan, a scholarship, or sponsorship, and some applicants can show parental or partner income instead. What officers actually look at is where the money came from: large recent deposits that don't match your sponsor's income raise questions, so build a clear paper trail before you lodge, not after you're asked.
Not every applicant has to submit financial documents upfront — that depends on your nationality and your institution's evidence level — but assume you'll be asked, and have the documents ready either way.
English, health cover, and work rights
English requirements vary by course level and provider, but the common benchmark is IELTS 6.0 or equivalent (PTE, TOEFL or Cambridge), with lower scores accepted when packaged with an English course. Check your institution's requirement, not a generic blog number — the provider's bar is the one that counts.
Health cover is non-negotiable: you need Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your full stay, arranged before you travel. For a single student it usually runs from a few hundred dollars to about AUD 700 a year depending on provider and length. You'll also need a health examination with an approved panel physician if the department requests one, and police certificates where required.
Work rights are generous by international standards: up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, with no limit during scheduled course breaks. That's a real budgeting help — but it's not a funding plan. Officers want to see you can support yourself without relying on work you haven't found yet.
How to apply, step by step
The sequence matters more than the speed. Here's the order that avoids the common stalls:
- Get the CoE. Accept your offer, pay any deposit, and confirm the CoE details match your passport exactly.
- Gather documents. Passport, academic transcripts and certificates, English test results, financial evidence, OSHC, and your Genuine Student statement.
- Create an ImmiAccount. This is the Department of Home Affairs online portal — every application goes through it.
- Complete the form and pay. Upload clean color scans of originals, then pay the application charge (AUD 2,500 for most applicants).
- Do biometrics and health checks promptly if requested — delays here are the most common reason processing drags.
- Respond fast to any request for more information. Processing times vary a lot by study level: higher education and school applications often take 4–8 weeks, VET applications 4–7 months, and postgraduate research 3–5 months. Check the department's current estimates before you plan travel.
One more warning worth repeating: the application charge is non-refundable, even if the visa is refused. And a refusal sits on your immigration record, making the next attempt — anywhere — harder to defend. Getting the sequence right the first time matters more than lodging fast.
What happens next — and the mistakes to avoid
Our take: the students who get through cleanly in 2026 are the ones who treat the GS statement and the funds paper trail as the real application, with the form itself as paperwork. The students who struggle are the ones who lodge first and assemble evidence later.
Three mistakes to avoid: (1) using a stale fee figure from a pre-July 2026 guide — if a page still says AUD 1,600, close it; (2) showing funds that appeared last week with no source story; (3) writing a generic GS statement that could belong to any applicant for any course. Fix those three and you've removed the most common refusal triggers.
Looking ahead, check the Home Affairs site again before you lodge — fees and funds benchmarks are updated annually, and the 2026 national cap of 295,000 new overseas students means some institutions fill their allocations early. If your course starts soon, start the CoE conversation with your institution now, not after you've booked flights.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Australia student visa fee in 2026?
From July 1, 2026, the main application charge is AUD 2,500 (about USD 1,750). ELICOS-only, non-award, and eligible ASEAN, Pacific and Timor-Leste applicants pay AUD 2,050. Family members pay extra.
How much money do I need to show?
AUD 29,710 a year for your own living costs, plus first-year tuition and travel. Add AUD 10,394 for a partner and AUD 4,449 per child, plus school fees where relevant.
Can I work while studying in Australia?
Yes — up to 48 hours per fortnight during term, with no limit during scheduled course breaks.
What is the Genuine Student requirement?
A written statement plus evidence showing you genuinely intend to study in Australia — why this course and institution, how it fits your background, and your plans afterward. It replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant test in 2024.
How long does processing take?
It varies by study level: roughly 4–8 weeks for higher education and schools, 4–7 months for VET, and 3–5 months for postgraduate research. Check the Department of Home Affairs estimates at lodgement time.
Sources
- Department of Home Affairs (Australia), Student visa (subclass 500) — official requirements and pricing estimator (confirm current figures before lodging).
- GoStudyIn / ApplyBoard / StudyAbroadAdvice fee and funds summaries, October 2026 (AUD 2,500 from July 1, 2026; AUD 29,710 living costs; partner AUD 10,394; child AUD 4,449).
- Y-Axis Australia, Subclass 500 application process and fee table, October 2026.
Related guides: Australia Skilled Visas 189, 190 and 491: Points, Fees, Steps, ESTA vs Canada's eTA vs Australia's ETA: What Each One Costs in 2026, and Canada Express Entry in 2026: How the Points Race Actually Works. This guide is general information only, not immigration advice — for a decision on your own case, check the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent.