Student Life in Sydney Australia

Studying in Sydney Australia can provide the ultimate student experience! It's the oldest, biggest, and most beautiful of all Australian cities. Blessed with a great climate and some of the best beaches in the world, Sydney offers a seductive intermingling of land and sea. 

Studying away from home is your chance to immerse yourself in a new culture, expand your horizons, make new friends and create memories that will last a lifetime. “The best years of my life” say most students*!

Read about how to make the most of your time in Sydney.

Where will you be studying?

Where will you be living?

  • ICMS offers students on-campus as well as off-campus Accommodation Options. Remember to book well in advance to avoid disappointment.
  • If you don’t choose ICMS accommodation and choose to stay with family, a share house, or your own apartment, please bear in mind that Sydney is a big city and traffic can be an issue so you should not live too far away from your campus, especially if you have early morning lectures. Helpful accommodation websites include: Flatmates.com.au, Gumtree.com.au, UniLodge Student Acommodation and Iglu

Preparing to arrive in Sydney

  • ICMS term dates can be a bit different to other countries. Check our important dates page to get an idea of how our academic year runs.
  • Before you arrive please read our Starting at ICMS page where there are lots of questions and answers on things like: accommodation check-in times, O-week, how to get to ICMS from the airport, what to wear, parking, sports etc…

Living costs in Sydney

  • If you have never lived away from home you should be aware that there are lots of things, apart for your tuition fees, that you need to budget for before you move to Sydney. The cost of living in Australia depends on many varying factors such as choice of accommodation, location and individual students’ spending habits. The Department of Home Affairs has financial requirements you must meet in order to receive a student visa and hence to cover the cost of living expenses in Australia. From 23 October 2019, the amount for the primary applicant is $21,041.  

The table below is provided as a guide only to some estimated expenses:

  • Expense

    Approximate Weekly Cost in AU$

    Accommodation Types

     

    On-campus

    400 - 495

    Hostel

    90 – 150 

    Shared rental

    85 - 300  

    Homestay

    220 – 355 

    Other 

     

    Groceries

    80 – 280

    Public transport

    15 - 55

    Entertainment

    80 - 150

    Eating out

    30 - 80

    Gas, electricity

    35 - 140

    Phone and internet

    20 - 55
  • The Cost of Living Calculator offered by Insider Guides is a useful tool to help discover, in more detail, your living costs in Australia, depending on your lifestyle.  To manage your expenses and income use this handy budget planner.

Australia is generally regarded as one of the safest countries in the world. However, it is still important that you look after yourself in your new country. You can find out more information about preparing to study in Australia here:

  • Get overseas health cover (OSHC). Either you can arrange this yourself or ICMS can arrange this for you. Your Letter of Offer will have more information about this.
  • Think about getting private health insurance for those things that OSHC does not cover
  • Consider travel insurance for things like missed flights and lost luggage.
  • You may also need Home and Contents insurance for your belongings or vehicle Insurance if you intend to have a car in Australia.

Banking and tax

  • You can set up a bank account before or after you arrive in Australia. You’ll need your eCoE (Electronic Confirmation of Enrolment), passport, letter of offer and ID.
  • If you plan to work, you will also need to apply for a Tax File Number.

Visas

  • Before you come to study in Australia you must have sorted out your Visa. The Department of Home Affairs  website provides all information in relation to visa requirements, responsibilities and compliance. You can find out more about visas on the StudyinAustralia website.

Travel and transport

  • Students can visit the Transport NSW website to plan trips or to find out more about getting an Opal card. Opal is the smartcard ticketing system used to pay for travel on public transport in Sydney

Support for international students

Education agents

We understand it can be difficult to organise everything, so consider getting an agent to help you with your application. You should only use an approved ICMS Agent Representative (Education Agent).

*87% of students surveyed at graduation November 2018