Education — Free K–12 Public Schooling and HECS-HELP

Education is the area where federal–state separation of powers is most visible in Australia. K–12 (kindergarten through Year 12) is run directly by state governments, while higher education (university and TAFE) is subsidised federally through HECS-HELP. The biggest contrasts with Korea are the four-term school year ending in late January / December (summer is December–January) and a clearly three-way split between public, Catholic systemic, and independent (private) schools.

K–12 (primary and secondary)

• Starting age: 5–6 (varies by state); compulsory until age 17. NSW and VIC use Year 1 to Year 12 (13 years).
• Public (government) schools: effectively free for citizens and PRs (small voluntary contributions, plus uniform, excursion, and tablet costs). You're guaranteed a place in your local catchment area.
• Catholic systemic schools: modest fees of around AUD 2,000–6,000 per year.
• Independent schools: AUD 15,000–40,000 per year, with top-tier schools above AUD 50,000.
• Children of temporary visa holders: rules vary by state. NSW, VIC, and others charge a temporary-visa public-school fee of around AUD 5,000–15,000 per year.

Early childhood

• Preschool / Kindergarten: one year of free or low-cost preschool at age 4, run state by state.
• Long Day Care / Family Day Care: centre-based childcare for ages 0–5 is expensive (AUD 700–1,200/week); the main subsidy is the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) covered in the family page.

Higher education (university and TAFE)

There's a large fee gap between domestic students (Commonwealth Supported Place, CSP) and international students.

• CSP fees (citizens and PRs): roughly AUD 4,000–16,000 per year by field. Most students defer through HECS-HELP and repay automatically through PAYG once their income exceeds the threshold after graduation.
• International student fees: AUD 30,000–50,000 per year (medicine and dentistry higher), paid directly or through home-country loans.
• TAFE (vocational education): Australia's polytechnic equivalent. Some courses are free or low-cost under state-level Free TAFE programs.

HECS-HELP — student loans in a nutshell

• Citizens and a narrow group of PRs (humanitarian) only can take out new loans. Standard PRs pay tuition directly.
• Repayment: kicks in around AUD 54,000 income (2025–26); 1–10% withheld through PAYG.
• Indexation, not interest: debt is uplifted each 1 June by the lower of CPI or wage growth (wage-linkage was added in 2023).
• Living overseas: if your income is above the threshold, you must report and repay through the ATO.

Youth Allowance / Austudy / ABSTUDY

• Youth Allowance for students aged 16–24 (study or job-seeking mode), Austudy for full-time students 25+, ABSTUDY for First Nations students.
• All are means-tested flat payments subject to residency rules and NARWP.

Things to watch

• Even within one city, school catchment zones are strictly enforced — your tenancy address often decides admission.
• Student visa (subclass 500) holders must keep OSHC student health insurance and 80%+ attendance as visa conditions.
• Independent schools have very long waitlists; enrolment shortly after birth is common.

Official guidance: Study Australia, Study Assist (HECS-HELP)