TAFE Queensland

TAFE Queensland is a public training provider with campuses across Queensland, including Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Townsville and Cairns. Its track record page traces its history to a Brisbane class in 1882. A Queensland law later set it up in its present form as a statutory body. 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 Queensland for a certificate, a diploma or one of its few degrees. 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 Queensland courses guide. Entry requirements, documents and the application steps are in our TAFE Queensland admissions guide.

Why do Nepali students choose TAFE Queensland?

TAFE Queensland offers hands-on certificates and diplomas in business, IT, hospitality, nursing, early childhood and trades, plus a few degrees, at campuses across Queensland.

• Practical training. The Diploma of Hospitality Management and the Certificate III in Carpentry teach job skills directly. The carpentry course includes 400 hours of vocational placement.
• Courses after +2. Diplomas ask for Year 12 or equivalent, so a +2 graduate can apply directly. Certificate III courses ask for Year 10, but a +2 graduate choosing one needs a very clear reason under Genuine Student.
• Placements and pathways. The Diploma of Nursing needs at least 400 hours of placement. TAFE Queensland also says a diploma may give you a year of credit towards a degree at a partner university, in many cases.
• The city. You choose the location as well as the course, and some courses run at only one campus. TAFE Queensland publishes a homestay cost but no rent figure for each city, so check prices for your own campus area.

Where are TAFE Queensland’s campuses?

TAFE Queensland has more than 60 locations in Queensland, its price list names about 20 for international students, and South Bank in Brisbane appears most often.

These 12 campuses appear on the courses we read, so your course may run elsewhere. We found no partner-run campus teaching TAFE Queensland courses in Australia. Its overseas partners are in countries such as India, China and Vietnam, and Nepal isn’t named. Its Caboolture campus shares a site with the University of the Sunshine Coast.

TAFE Queensland’s CRICOS provider code is 03020E, and it is also a registered higher education provider. Check that code and your course’s code on the CRICOS register before you pay. See TAFE Queensland’s campuses page for maps, and read about regional study in Australia if you are looking outside Brisbane.

How much does TAFE Queensland cost for international students?

TAFE Queensland publishes a total fee for each vocational course: most one-year diplomas cost AUD 15,800 to 28,800, and many six-month certificates AUD 5,400 to 8,250.

That is roughly Rs 14 to 26 lakh for a one-year diploma, and Rs 5 to 8 lakh for a six-month certificate. To see what these amounts are worth today, use our AUD to Rs forex converter. TAFE Queensland’s international price list shows the tuition, campus and start months for every course. It says prices can change without notice, so confirm yours there.

Some courses cost more. The 18-month Diploma of Nursing is AUD 33,600, roughly Rs 30 lakh, and the two-year Diploma of Dental Technology is AUD 45,600, roughly Rs 41 lakh. Packaged courses list a fee for each part, and a diploma taken after a certificate often costs less than the same diploma alone.

Degrees are different. The price list heads its column “total”. But the Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Cyber Security pages call AUD 32,000 an indicative fee for one year. That is roughly Rs 29 lakh a year, so read it as yearly and ask for your offer’s total.

Materials, uniforms and OSHC health cover are extra. Your Letter of Offer lists the tuition deposit and first fees, and later fees fall due before each study period. Its payment page explains how to pay.

If your visa is refused before the course starts, its refund rules give back the course fees paid, less AUD 500 or 5%, whichever is lower. AUD 500 is about Rs 45,000. 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 TAFE Queensland’s intakes?

Most TAFE Queensland courses start in January and July, some start only in January, and a few add an April start.

For students applying from outside Australia, applications for a January start usually close in early December, and for a July start usually in mid-May. TAFE Queensland’s key dates page shows the current closing and acceptance dates. Courses can fill up, so check your course’s row in the price list.

The Diploma of Information Technology (Advanced Programming) starts in January or July at South Bank. The Diploma of Nursing is listed for January only, at Toowoomba. The Certificate III in Individual Support at Southport adds an April start. Some courses are marked “Quota Program” on the list, so ask about places early.

Aim to apply 6 to 9 months before your start date, so there is time for the offer, the CoE, OSHC and your visa. You then attend the international orientation at your campus, 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 Queensland and after you graduate?

Yes. You can work up to 48 hours a fortnight during semester and without a limit in semester holidays, 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 Queensland courses run 6 to 12 months, so one short course won’t meet that alone.

TAFE Queensland’s working in Australia page covers work on a student visa and says required placement hours don’t count towards the 48 hours. It doesn’t list which of its 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 TAFE Queensland?

We found no TAFE Queensland scholarship open to Nepali students, because its own Scholarship Program is only for Australian citizens and permanent residents.

How the main scholarship works:

• Amount: AUD 5,000 for each award, about Rs 4.5 lakh, with 100 awards a year.
• Who can get it: Australian citizens and permanent residents only, so a student coming from Nepal can’t apply.
• What you have to do: You can’t apply from Nepal, so plan your funds without it.
• When: Applications usually open in July and close towards the end of September.

The international pages we read list no award of their own. Details are on TAFE Queensland’s scholarships page. Our guide to scholarships in Australia for Nepali students lists other awards.

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

Diplomas ask for a School Leaving Certificate plus a Higher Secondary or Proficiency Certificate with a grade average of 60, and usually IELTS 6.0 with no band under 5.5.

PTE Academic 50 and TOEFL iBT 67 are the usual equivalents, and both have minimum part scores. The Diploma of Nursing asks for IELTS 7.0 with writing at 6.5, as its English equivalencies table shows. The Nepal rule itself is on its academic 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. Nepal is also on TAFE Queensland’s list of countries that must apply through a registered agent.

Most TAFE Queensland 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 Queensland’s associate degree, bachelor’s and master’s courses 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 Queensland?

TAFE Queensland teaches certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas and a few degrees, in areas such as business, IT, hospitality, nursing, early childhood, aged care, engineering and trades.

The cards below are a selection, each read on TAFE Queensland’s own course pages. Registered nursing needs a bachelor’s, and a Diploma of Nursing leads to enrolled nurse. TAFE Queensland’s Bachelor of Nursing takes students through its Diploma of Nursing pathway only, with one year of credit. The Associate Degree in Civil Engineering asks for Year 12 with English and mathematics.

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 Queensland students live?

TAFE Queensland students use homestay, private student accommodation or a shared rental, and homestay usually costs AUD 200 to 300 a week by TAFE Queensland’s figure.

That homestay figure is roughly Rs 18,000 to 27,000 a week, depending on how many meals you want. A homestay means living with an Australian family, and TAFE Queensland names providers such as the Australian Homestay Network. Purpose-built student buildings have furnished rooms, common areas and after-hours security. Short stays in a hostel or hotel can help while you look for somewhere permanent.

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

Official TAFE Queensland links

• International students at TAFE Queensland
• How to apply
• Find an education agent
• English language requirements
• Course finder
• Money matters and living costs

Frequently asked questions about TAFE Queensland