Brisbane's inner city is characterised by the Brisbane River, extensive parklands, museums, art galleries, casino, shopping malls, and a plethora of cosmopolitan restaurants and cafes.  In close proximity to Brisbane are the pristine beaches of the Sunshine Coast (north) and Gold Coast (south), along with National Parks, rainforests and world famous attractions such as Australia Zoo. Stradbroke, Moreton and Fraser islands are all close to Brisbane and boast some of the largest sand dunes in the world.

• www.studybrisbane.com
• www.queenslandholidays.com.au/destinations/brisbane/
• www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/queensland/brisbane/
• www.brisbane.qld.gov.au 

Organise a visa

Information on how to apply for a visa, what visa you should apply for, and current visa processing times are all available from your nearest Australian Embassy, Consulate or High Commission.

To obtain a visa you will need to visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's website where you will:

• Select a visa according to your course of study;
• Determine if your program is eligible for Streamlined Visa Processing; and

• Demonstrate and/or declare that you have sufficient funds to be granted a student visa.

If you are granted a student visa, you must comply with all conditions as outlined by the visa which include (but are not limited to) the following:

• complete your program within your visa duration;
• make satisfactory academic progress;
• not interrupt your study, except for compelling or compassionate grounds;
• maintain approved Overseas Student Health Cover whilst in Australia; and 
• advise the University on mySI-net immediately of changes in your Australian address and contact details.

For more information or a full list of visa conditions, please visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's website.

Organise Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

If you are an international student wanting to study at UQ, it is a condition of your student visa that you have OSHC for the duration of your Student Visa in Australia. The University of Queensland can arrange OSHC on your behalf through our preferred provider OSHC Worldcare Product at Allianz Global Assistance.

Students who purchase their OSHC through Worldcare, are covered under the OSHC Worldcare Essentials Cover. This is an arrangement that is only available through the University and it provides students with benefits above the minimum cover required by the Australian Government.

Before applying for dependant visas issued in your home country, you need to show evidence of Family Overseas Student Health Cover.

Find out more about OSHC.

There are many different types of accommodation options in Brisbane to suit every budget, style or need.  UQ's Student Services - Accommodation can help you find a place to live.

UQ Campus accommodation

UQ St Lucia's on-campus accommodation consists of 10 residential colleges located within easy walking distance to all university facilities. Most residential colleges provide full catering for undergraduate students and either full or some self-catering options for postgraduate students. For further information regarding applications, availability and fees or if you would like to visit any of the residential colleges, please contact them directly.

Rent or share a house or unit

There are a number of unit complexes or houses specifically for students in Brisbane.  In most cases students will rent the entire house or flat, but there are also opportunities to rent a single bedroom, and share a lounge room, kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities with other students who have been selected by the management.  Contracts usually apply, it is important to read the terms and conditions to fully understand your obligations and what other fees may be incurred.

• Private rental listings: www.realestate.com.au/rent
• Shared accommodation listings: www.realestate.com.au/share 

Youth hostels / backpackers

Hostels provide sociable accommodation on a low budget where guests can rent a bed (sometimes a bunk bed in a dormitory) and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available. These can be a very good short-term option while you are settling in Brisbane and looking for more permanent accommodation.  Search for a hostel in Brisbane.

Bed and Breakfast (B&B)

B&B accommodation offers a room within a house overnight or for a short stay. The fee for this includes breakfast, but typically no other meals. B&B's are most commonly private homes with fewer than 10 bedrooms.  Search for a B&B in Brisbane.

Buying property in brisbane

Search for available properties on www.realestate.com.au

If your spouse wishes to seek employment in Australia, they will first need a visa with Permission to Work. This application can only be made after their arrival in Australia and after your formal degree program has commenced. Please note DIAC's definition of family members, which includes your spouse, and you and your spouse's dependent children.  Your spouse will also need to apply for a Tax File Number.  After obtaining their Visa with Permission to Work and a Tax File Number, they can begin Searching for jobs.  There are also restrictions on how many hours they can work.

If your spouse tries to find paid work and is unsuccessful, or if they just want to stay busy for a few hours or a few days a week, they may wish to consider voluntary work. Often, churches or health facilities such as homes for the elderly and hospitals highly value the services of volunteers, and they would appreciate your offer to assist (in a non-professional capacity). Volunteering Queensland helps volunteers in a variety of non-profit associations such as health, cultural and environmental groups.

Your spouse will still need to apply for a visa with Permission to Work Visa if they are planning to undertake any voluntary work. They will also need to apply for a Blue Card if they wish to work (paid or voluntary) with children under 18 years of age. Read more information about Volunteering.

Children attending school

Children requiring child care

Childcare, kindergarten and after-school-care facilities (all independently operated) are available to UQ staff and students on or near all University of Queensland campuses.  Many centres have long waiting lists. Please note that no free childcare options are available. Centres may be contacted directly.  http://www.uq.edu.au/services/childcare 

The cost of living in Brisbane varies according to your lifestyle and requirements.

It is estimated that students require a minimum of AUD$22,500 per annum for essential living expenses such as accommodation, food, clothing, entertainment, transport and phone.

More funds are needed for things such as textbooks, medical expenses, recreational and sight-seeing costs, or the option of buying a car. Part-time work can assist with financial needs but should not be relied upon to cover full living expenses.

• Expenses Guide
• Healthcare at UQ
• Transport and parking

To make your transition to a new country and culture easier, UQ can meet you at the domestic or international airport and take you to your temporary or permanent accommodation. This service is only available to students commencing their first semester, and bookings must be made five days in advance via the Accommodation Services website. There is also a pre-departure webinar recording for more information on planning your arrival.

If you would like to make your own way into Brisbane city from the airport, the following websites will be useful:

• Brisbane Airport
• Brisbane Airtrain
• Public transport in South-East Queensland

Brisbane is a city for the senses; walking under impossibly blue skies around this foot-friendly city opens up a world of experiences. A well planned series of paths and bridges connect the city centre to South Bank, as well as many of our urban villages that tease the river’s edge as it bends the city, its parks and gentle skyscrapers.

The ever-busy baristas fill the air with an irresistible temptation that is hard to escape and the mix of welcome visitors and the business set create a lively thoroughfare through the Queen Street Mall - Queensland’s largest retail precinct with over 700 specialty shops, restaurant, cinemas and live music. There is also the constant spectacle of an array of outdoor festivals, events and attractions created for Brisbane’s famous sub-tropical weather.

Yet, for a real Brisbane experience, you must see what’s on at our buzzing urban villages. From Australia’s premier live music precinct, the 'Valley' to the cool and the left-of-centre community of West End, our urban villages each have their own personality, yet they’re all filled with unique shopping precincts, cafes, restaurants, galleries and smiling locals enjoying the Brisbane sun. 

Source: Visit Brisbane website

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UQ offers an English Language Scholarship (ELS) program to prospective international students who are applying to study for a research higher degree at UQ. This program assists PhD and MPhil candidates who require additional English language training to meet the English Language proficiency standard required for entry.

The ELS includes:

• the cost of 10 weeks’ tuition fees for the English Language program at UQ’s Institute of Continuing & TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ)
• 10 weeks of Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) medical insurance for the candidate (single rate)
• a living stipend for the duration of the 10 week English language program, which is paid within 2 weeks of arrival or class commencement, whichever is the later date.
• the fee for one compulsory International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test at the end of the program (ONLY for candidates in the English for Academic Purposes II program). 

To be eligible, you must:

• receive a Package Offer of a place in a UQ research higher degree program
• meet relevant English Language Proficiency entry scores
• be able to demonstrate payment of full tuition fees for the research higher degree program, either in the form of a fully-funded scholarship or other private sources.

Download the ELS FLyer

This scholarship is not available to students who have been awarded a UQ tuition scholarship.

How to apply:  Please indicate on the Application for Admission and Scholarships form if you wish to be automatically considered for scholarships.

Whilst RHD students are entitled to work unlimited hours, they must maintain full-time enrolment in their studies and progress to the satisfaction of the Dean, UQ Graduate School.  This includes meeting milestones in the timeframes outlined in the policy 4.60.05 Research Higher Degree Candidature Progression and Development. 

Students holding a UQ scholarship will be entitled to undertake paid work as per the UQ Research Scholarship General Conditions.

Students studying at UQ on an externally funded scholarship should contact their scholarship provider regarding the number of hours they are permitted to work each week.

Please remember that full-time students should be undertaking their research for the equivalent of a standard five-day working week, for 48 weeks of the year.

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