Chisholm Institute

Chisholm Institute is a government-owned TAFE in Melbourne’s south east, Victoria. Its why study at Chisholm page calls it one of the largest vocational education and training providers in Victoria. It is one of the options in our guide to studying in Australia from Nepal and our list of colleges and TAFE in Australia.

This profile is for Nepali students considering Chisholm for a certificate, a diploma or a bachelor’s. It covers why students choose it, where its campuses are, what it costs, when courses start, work rights, scholarships and a few courses open to international students. The courses open to you, with level, length and campus, are in our Chisholm courses guide. Entry requirements, documents and the application steps are in our Chisholm admissions guide.

Why do Nepali students choose Chisholm Institute?

Chisholm teaches a short list of diplomas and bachelor’s degrees to international students, in nursing, early childhood, community services, IT, business, engineering and psychology, all in south-east Melbourne.

• Hands-on training. The Diploma of Nursing includes 400 hours of work placement. The Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Mechatronics) includes an 8-week industry placement that Chisholm organises.
• Courses after +2. The Bachelor of Business (Management and Leadership) takes students from Year 12 or equivalent, with no minimum Australian Year 12 score. You must be at least 18 to start at Chisholm.
• Diploma-to-degree pathways. Chisholm says the Diploma of Community Services can cut 12 months from its Bachelor of Community Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs. Its International Study Guide also features a Diploma of Nursing student originally from Nepal.
• The area. International courses run at Dandenong, Berwick and Frankston, not in central Melbourne. The guide says living costs near its campuses are lower than in the Melbourne CBD. Our page on the best cities in Australia for Nepali students helps you compare.

Where are Chisholm Institute’s campuses?

Chisholm has seven campuses across south-east Melbourne, and its international courses run at three of them: Dandenong, Berwick and Frankston.

Bass Coast, Cranbourne, Mornington Peninsula and Springvale are also on Chisholm’s campuses page, but the guide doesn’t list them for international courses. Each course page we read shows Dandenong, Berwick or Frankston, so we found no partner-run campus for those courses.

Chisholm’s third party providers page does name partners that deliver specific VET courses. They include schools and training bodies in Victoria, and colleges in China, Qatar and Sri Lanka. None is in Nepal, so check that your offer letter names a Chisholm campus.

Chisholm’s CRICOS provider code is 00881F. Check that code and your course’s code on the CRICOS register before you pay.

How much does Chisholm Institute cost for international students?

Chisholm publishes a fee for the whole course: AUD 15,202 to 39,351 for its certificate and diplomas, and AUD 66,960 to 74,232 for most three-year bachelor’s degrees.

That is roughly Rs 14 to 36 lakh for a certificate or diploma, and Rs 61 to 67 lakh for a three-year bachelor’s. To see what these amounts are worth today, use our AUD to Rs forex converter. Degree pages also show an annual fee of AUD 22,320 to 24,744, roughly Rs 20 to 22 lakh a year.

Fees differ a lot between diplomas. The 1.5-year Diploma of Nursing is AUD 39,351, roughly Rs 36 lakh, and the 1.5-year Diploma of Community Services is AUD 20,347, roughly Rs 18 lakh. The Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care page shows AUD 17,674, roughly Rs 16 lakh, labelled “with scholarship”, so ask Chisholm what that label means for you. The two-year Bachelor of Psychology is AUD 46,896, roughly Rs 42 lakh.

These totals include tuition and material fees, though degree totals can rise in later years. The community mental health degree adds annual Student Services fees. Chisholm’s fees and refund policy says there are no application or enrolment charges. Health cover is extra, and your Letter of Offer shows its cost.

Your first payment is the first semester’s tuition and material fees. If your visa is refused before the course starts, the policy says you get all payments back, less AUD 250, roughly Rs 23,000. You need the original refusal letter. After the course starts, you only get back fees not used for study periods.

VET student visa applications from Nepal face tough assessment, so read our page on the Australia visa success rate from Nepal before you pay anything.

Living costs come on top. For the student visa, Home Affairs asks you to show AUD 29,710 for a year of living costs. You also show first-year tuition and AUD 2,000 for travel; the Australia student visa requirements page explains how. See the total cost to study in Australia and the cost of living in Australia for a full budget.

When are Chisholm Institute’s intakes?

Chisholm’s certificate and most diploma courses start in February and July, its bachelor’s degrees in March and July, and the Diploma of Nursing in January.

We found no closing dates on the pages we read, so ask Chisholm or your agent early. Places in the Diploma of Nursing are strictly limited, and Chisholm asks you to confirm availability before you accept an offer. Courses can also be cancelled or postponed if too few students enrol, so check your course’s page.

The Diploma of Community Services starts in February or July at Dandenong. The Bachelor of Information Technology (Cyber Security) starts in March or July, also at Dandenong. The Bachelor of Psychology follows the same two months at Frankston.

Aim to apply 6 to 9 months before your start date, so there is time for the offer, the CoE, OSHC and your visa. Orientation is compulsory, and Chisholm sends its date after you accept your offer.

If you track document dates in Bikram Sambat, our Nepali date converter turns B.S. dates into A.D. dates. For the full calendar, read our guide to Australia intakes.

Can you work while studying at Chisholm Institute and after you graduate?

Yes. You can work up to 48 hours a fortnight in session and without a limit in official breaks, and some graduates can then get a 485 visa.

Chisholm’s working while you study page states the same 48-hour rule. Our guide to working hours for students in Australia explains the fortnight rule, and Home Affairs sets the 485 rules:

• Degree graduates can look at the Post-Higher Education Work stream, usually 2 to 3 years.
• Diploma and trade graduates can look at the Post-Vocational Education Work stream, up to 18 months. The qualification must relate to an occupation on the skilled list, and you need a skills assessment.
• For both streams you must be 35 or under, and the fee starts from AUD 5,750.

No course gives you the visa automatically. Your study must be CRICOS registered and add up to at least 92 weeks. Chisholm’s diplomas run 1 to 1.5 years, so one diploma alone may not meet that, and you should check its CRICOS weeks.

Chisholm’s visas page says it gives no migration advice, and it sends students to Home Affairs or a registered agent for post-study options. It doesn’t list which courses fit a 485 visa. Our Australia 485 visa page explains each stream, and PR courses in Australia explains why no course promises PR.

Which scholarships can Nepali students get at Chisholm Institute?

The one scholarship Chisholm lists for international students is for continuing degree students, so don’t count on a scholarship when you first apply.

How the main scholarship works:

• Amount: AUD 2,000, about Rs 1.8 lakh, as a one-off credit on future tuition, not cash. Chisholm lists 20 of these awards.
• Who can get it: Full-fee international students in a CRICOS degree who have finished at least one semester, with a distinction average and no failing grades.
• What you have to do: Email Chisholm’s international team for the nomination form. A panel looks at your marks, your attendance and your visa compliance.
• When: The round we read ran in September and October.

Chisholm’s course pages encourage international students to apply for a scholarship, but we found no award listed for new certificate or diploma students. Details are on Chisholm’s scholarships page. Our guide to scholarships in Australia for Nepali students lists other awards.

What do you need to get into Chisholm Institute from Nepal?

Chisholm has no NEB GPA rule. It asks for Year 12 or an equivalent overseas qualification, and usually IELTS 6.0 with no band under 5.0 for diplomas or 5.5 for degrees.

The Bachelor of Psychology asks for IELTS 6.5 and the Diploma of Nursing asks for 7.0. PTE Academic from 47 is the usual equivalent on Chisholm’s admission requirements page. To see where your +2 grades stand, convert your NEB GPA to a percentage with our NEB GPA calculator. Then compare with our page on requirements to study in Australia from Nepal.

Chisholm’s certificate and diplomas are VET courses, and VET student visa applications from Nepal face tough assessment. Recent Home Affairs data shows very few VET visas granted to applicants from Nepal; the visa success rate page linked in the cost section above has the data.

A +2 graduate choosing a diploma must explain why it fits their study and career plan under the Genuine Student requirement. Chisholm’s bachelor’s degrees are not VET courses, but the visa isn’t easy for them either. If your marks are low, read about study in Australia after +2 with a low GPA.

What can you study at Chisholm Institute?

Chisholm’s international list has a Certificate III, three diplomas and bachelor’s degrees in accounting, management, IT, engineering, community mental health and psychology.

The cards below are a selection, each read on Chisholm’s own course pages. Registered nursing needs a bachelor’s, and a Diploma of Nursing leads to enrolled nurse. Chisholm’s international list has no Bachelor of Nursing. Its Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care needs the Certificate III first, and that page lists second-year entry to Chisholm’s Bachelor of Psychology.

For each type of course, see our guides to diploma courses in Australia, early childhood education courses, information technology courses and nursing courses. Our guide to diploma vs bachelor’s in Australia after +2 compares the two routes. Our guide to nursing in Australia for Nepali students covers registration.

Program Details

Where do Chisholm Institute students live?

Chisholm students use homestay, a share house or rental, or Fedliving rooms at Federation University’s Berwick campus. We found no housing run by Chisholm itself.

Chisholm says a rental usually needs one month’s rent in advance, about AUD 865 to 2,500, roughly Rs 78,000 to 2.3 lakh. You also pay a bond of up to six weeks’ rent, plus furniture and connections. Sharing a house usually costs less. Chisholm suggests you live within one hour of your campus.

Chisholm uses the Australian Homestay Network, and students over 18 arrange homestay directly with it. Your host gives you meals. Fedliving is a short walk from Chisholm’s Berwick campus, and it can also suit Dandenong students, about 50 minutes away by train and foot.

For your first days, Chisholm can arrange a hostel or budget hotel at AUD 70 to 100 a night, with a AUD 100 placement fee that isn’t refunded. See Chisholm’s housing page and our guide to student accommodation in Australia, and don’t travel before you have somewhere to stay.

Our counselors in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari and Pokhara can look at your marks and budget with you. Get in touch with a Goreto branch if you want a second opinion on Chisholm.

Official Chisholm Institute links

• International students at Chisholm
• How to apply
• Education agents
• Courses for international students
• Conditions of enrolment
• Health insurance
• Contact the international team

Frequently asked questions about Chisholm Institute