TAFE NSW

TAFE NSW is a public, government-run college with campuses across New South Wales. Its International Student Guide says it has taught for over 140 years and is Australia’s largest government provider of vocational training. 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 TAFE NSW 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 TAFE NSW courses guide. Entry requirements, documents and the application steps are in our TAFE NSW admissions guide.

Why do Nepali students choose TAFE NSW?

TAFE NSW offers hands-on certificates and diplomas in business, IT, hospitality, nursing and early childhood, plus some bachelor’s degrees, mainly in Sydney and other New South Wales cities.

• Practical training. The Diploma of Hospitality Management and the Certificate III in Commercial Cookery teach job skills directly. TAFE NSW says its teachers come from the industries they teach.
• Courses after +2. Most diplomas ask for Year 12 or equivalent, so a +2 graduate can apply directly. Some diplomas first need a Certificate III or IV, and your offer letter then shows both courses.
• Placements and pathways. The Diploma of Nursing includes at least 400 hours of clinical placement. The Bachelor of Business includes 60 hours, and a university pathway can give you credit towards a degree.
• The city. You choose the location as well as the course, because TAFE NSW lists more than 30 locations for international students. It doesn’t publish a rent figure, so check costs for your own campus area, not only for central Sydney.

Where are TAFE NSW’s campuses?

TAFE NSW teaches international students at more than 30 locations across New South Wales, and Ultimo in Sydney appears on most of the course pages we read.

These 12 campuses are the ones named most often on the courses we read, so your course may run elsewhere. We found no partner-run campus teaching TAFE NSW courses in Australia. Its overseas partners are in Fiji, the Philippines and China, and none is in Nepal.

TAFE NSW’s CRICOS provider code is 00591E, and the register lists it as Technical and Further Education Commission. Check that code and your course’s code on the CRICOS register before you pay. See TAFE NSW’s campuses page for maps, and read about regional study in Australia if you are looking outside Sydney.

How much does TAFE NSW cost for international students?

TAFE NSW publishes a fee for the whole course: one-year diplomas cost about AUD 12,500 to 37,500, and three-year bachelor’s degrees about AUD 57,800 to 75,600.

That is roughly Rs 11 to 34 lakh for a one-year diploma, and Rs 52 to 68 lakh for a three-year bachelor’s. To see what these amounts are worth today, use our AUD to Rs forex converter. Each course page shows its latest published fee and campus, so confirm yours there before you plan your funds.

Some courses cost more. The two-year Diploma of Dental Technology is about AUD 50,200, roughly Rs 45 lakh, and the 1.5-year Diploma of Nursing is about AUD 29,400, roughly Rs 27 lakh. Uniforms, equipment and textbooks add AUD 300 to 1,000 per course. TAFE NSW’s guide lists health cover at AUD 821 a year for one student, while its website says from AUD 643, so check your quote.

The registration fee is AUD 100 and isn’t refundable. TAFE NSW’s terms ask for one semester’s fees as the first payment, plus a AUD 4,500 deposit if a package includes a TAFE NSW degree. If your visa is refused before the course starts, its refund guide says fees paid may come back, less AUD 500 or 5%, whichever is lower.

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. Keep your refusal letter too, because the refund request needs it.

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 TAFE NSW’s intakes?

Most TAFE NSW courses start in February and July, and some also start mid-semester in April or September.

We found no single closing date on the pages we read. TAFE NSW does say that courses needing a portfolio, an audition or a skills assessment close earlier than others. Its academic calendar and mid-semester intakes page show the dates. Intakes can close early, so check your course’s page.

The Diploma of Information Technology starts in February or July at Meadowbank. The Diploma of Hospitality Management adds a September start at Ultimo. The Diploma of Nursing has its own pattern by campus, from February to October.

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, so plan to arrive in time for it.

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 TAFE NSW 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.

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. Many TAFE NSW courses run 6 to 12 months, so one short course won’t meet that alone. TAFE NSW’s working in Australia page says the vocational stream is for a VET qualification relevant to the needs of the Australian workforce.

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 TAFE NSW?

TAFE NSW lists merit scholarships for international students: a AUD 500 credit on selected vocational courses and a 15% credit on higher education tuition.

How the main scholarship works:

• Amount: AUD 500, about Rs 45,000, off selected vocational courses, or 15% off higher education tuition each semester. Two higher education diplomas get AUD 1,000 instead.
• Who can get it: International students on the listed courses. A scholarship panel assesses each application on merit.
• What you have to do: Complete TAFE NSW’s scholarship application. Don’t count on it when you work out the funds you show for your visa.
• When: Applications close on the course start date in your offer letter.

TAFE NSW also points to Australia Awards Scholarships, which have their own country rules. Details are on TAFE NSW’s scholarships page. Our guide to scholarships in Australia for Nepali students lists other awards.

What do you need to get into TAFE NSW from Nepal?

TAFE NSW asks for an NEB GPA of 2.21 for vocational courses or 2.61 for higher education courses, and usually IELTS 6.0 with no band under 5.5.

A TAFE NSW bachelor’s asks for IELTS 6.5 with no band under 6.0, and the Diploma of Nursing asks for 7.0. PTE Academic 47 is the usual equivalent, with minimum part scores, on TAFE NSW’s entry 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.

Most TAFE NSW courses 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. TAFE NSW’s bachelor’s degrees and higher education diplomas 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 TAFE NSW?

TAFE NSW teaches certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas and some bachelor’s degrees, in areas such as business, IT, hospitality, nursing, early childhood, aged care and engineering.

The cards below are a selection, each read on TAFE NSW’s own course pages. Registered nursing needs a bachelor’s, and a Diploma of Nursing leads to enrolled nurse. TAFE NSW says its UTS pathway gives one year of credit towards a Bachelor of Nursing. The Bachelor of Information Technology (Data Engineering) also asks for a Year 12 Mathematics pass and an online interview.

For each type of course, see our guides to diploma courses in Australia, hospitality and tourism 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 TAFE NSW students live?

TAFE NSW students use homestay, private student accommodation or a rental, and TAFE NSW publishes no rent figure of its own.

A homestay means living with an Australian family, with meals and a study desk, and TAFE NSW works with homestay providers. Private student buildings such as Iglu, Scape and UniLodge usually include utilities in the rent. In a rental or share house you sign a lease and usually pay a bond of 4 weeks’ rent.

If you will be under 18, Home Affairs has separate welfare rules, so read that part first. See TAFE NSW’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 TAFE NSW.

Official TAFE NSW links

• International students at TAFE NSW
• How to apply
• Fees and costs for international students
• English language requirements
• Course finder
• Entry requirements by country

Frequently asked questions about TAFE NSW