Australia may seem far away, and New Zealand can seem tiny and remote, but both countries offer top-class universities, beautiful campuses, and have international populations and excellent, slightly different, and affordable programs of study.
Australia
The Australian University System: Seven original universities founded in the 1800s grew to twenty after WWII, and then to nearly forty universities. Almost all universities within this system are publically funded, but students from Australia must contribute to their own education. International students are required to pay fees, but the total cost can be less than half of the tuition paid in some other national systems.
There are about 1.5 million undergraduate students in Australian universities. Each year, more than 350,000 students graduate with either a three- or four-year degree.
The vast majority of Australian universities are found nearer to main cities in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and on the island territory of Tasmania. These included Sydney, NSW, Brisbane, Adelaide, and the University of Melbourne. The largest is Monash University, also located in Melbourne, but there are also many other top-rated universities located throughout the country.
New Zealand
Many people associate New Zealand with Australia, and they do form a cultural closeness despite being separated by about 2,400 miles of ocean. The two countries are also a bit different in their approach to higher education.
New Zealand consists of two main islands, North and South, and there are excellent choices on both.
New Zealand has eight main universities that offer traditional academic programs in the arts, business and commerce, law, engineering, etc. However, the larger body of higher education institutions in New Zealand concentrate on specific career-oriented programs of study that train students at a number of excellent polytechnics.
The oldest university in New Zealand is the University of Otago with 21,000 students each year studying a broad range of subjects or taking part in international exchanges.
New Zealand is often known for its geography, topography, and the beauty of the landscape, but the quality of its higher education system should not be underestimated.
