Once you have an idea of what you’d like to study you’ll need to find out where you can study it. Often a type of course is offered by many training providers across the state. For example, you can study engineering at universities in Melbourne, Bendigo or Geelong, among others.
Things that are relevant to choosing the campus that you will study at include:
- Location of the campus
- Course entry requirements
- Course fees
- The course's professional reputation
Campus location
When choosing a course it’s a good idea to think about how far you’ll have to travel to get to class. It sounds obvious, but the more time you spend travelling the less time you have to study, work and do everything else.
Some courses are only offered in Melbourne and others can only be studied at regional campuses. Unless you’re studying online or by distance education you’ll have a certain number of contact hours each week when you’re expected to be in classes.
Here are some things to think about:
- How much time will you be required to spend in class?
- How much will it cost to travel to this campus?
- Will you need to live away from home to study at this campus?
If you’re thinking about travelling overseas to study check out the Studying overseas page in our Travel & Transport section (link).
Entry requirements
Each education or training provider will have its own entry requirements for different courses. Your ability to meet these requirements is a factor in determining where you will eventually end up studying.
Make sure you find out what the course requirements for each campus are, because if you don’t meet the entry requirements it’s unlikely you’ll be offered a place on that campus.
For more info on course entry requirements, check out our How to apply for a course page and visit VTAC's Entrance Requirements page (new window).
Course fees
It costs money to study, so knowing how much each course will cost you and how much you can afford to spend on your education (whether you pay it now, or choose to pay for it at a later date) is another factor in choosing where you will study.
The fees for a course in Melbourne might be more than the fees for the same kind of course in Bendigo or Wodonga, and there are plenty of good reasons to choose to study at a course with lower fees.
University fees
If you have a Commonwealth supported place (HECS-HELP) your tuition fees will be subsidised by the Commonwealth Government. In 2008 you will pay somewhere between $4077 and $8499 for each year that you study.
If you have a full fee-paying place (FEE-HELP) you won’t receive a Government subsidy and your tuition fees will be at least as much as what Commonwealth supported students pay, probably more.
TAFE fees
There are two types of TAFE courses: Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 courses are supported by the Commonwealth government and (as at 2007) the most a student can pay for tuition per year is $860. Some students (e.g. Health Care Card holders) don’t have to pay more than the minimum of $53 per year.
Type 2 courses are not supported by the Commonwealth government and fees vary depending on the course provider.
More information
Check out our Paying for your course page for more information about course fees.
Course reputation
Before you apply for a course you might like to find out what sort of reputation it has in the relevant industry or profession. Knowing how well regarded the graduates of a particular course are is an important factor in picking where you will study.
For example, half of the graduates of an independent training college in Melbourne may have jobs the year after they graduate, while a similar course at a regional TAFE may have almost all of its graduates in work the year after they graduate. All other things being equal, in this case it would make more sense to do the course that the TAFE offers.
To find out the reputation and success rate of a course, you could talk to students and staff at an open day or ask employers or members of the relevant industry association what they think the value of the course is.
You could also speak to graduates of the course and find out what they thought of it and if it helped them get a job.
To find out more about studying and training opportunities, check out the rest of our Courses and study options section for more details.
