Our usual advice to students is that you should not purchase your flight until you have received an official acceptance letter from your host university.
We understand that flights fill up fast but as we've explained, it is out of our control when we will receive your acceptance letter from your host university.
However, STA Travel (UQ branch ONLY) understands the situation for UQ Exchange students and therefore they can assist you. They will allow you to book a flight, place a deposit, and if you need to cancel your exchange for a good reason (if you weren’t accepted by the host institution or if there was an illness in the family etc) they will fully refund your deposit. If you wish to purchase your flight before receiving your official acceptance, we strongly recommend that you put a deposit on your flight through STA (UQ Branch).