Getting Diploma assessed in Australia

Carter1986

Hi,

Looking to find out what people have done when getting diploma/degree etc assessed in Victoria. Reason i ask is I want to start back up my IT and price of it here is coming in at $25k approx whereas i could do back in Ireland for 4,250e($6k) but would it be able to be recognized out here so its not a waste?

The course i am looking at back home is this software engineering at NUI Galway

and the one here is

BA of ART(Internet COMM) at Curtin Uni in Melb

AngryHippie

I returned to Uni recently after completing three years of a degree back in Ireland but never finishing.

1st step was make an application for the course (QTAC in QLD, not sure but it will be a similar body in VIC) costs $65

2nd step was to complete a STAT exam (Basically an aptitude test, it gives you equivalent application points to year 12 graduates) 88th percentile is the highest you can achieve on this. Nailed it. cost $135

Step 3 was course offers, got offered first preference straight up

Step 4 was to accept a course and apply for Recognition of Prior Learning directly to the Uni. For this you will need your course outline, unit descriptions, course contents and Transcripts from any courses you have done, basically go through each unit and match it up as well as you can to the equivalent in the degree you are aiming for, they will assess it in those terms. No cost apart from the headache of trying to get that information out of the original institute back in Ireland (2 hour lunch breaks, 6 weeks to respond to e-mails, never get a straight answer on the phone. I ended up having to march in there the next time I was home to get it sorted. Ironically the same main reason I jacked it in the first place)

I was lucky in a sense as engineering degrees do have a pretty good equivalency worldwide and most of the subjects up until final year don't get too restrictive regarding design codes and standards.

Once that has all been done, lodged and you've received a response you'll know how many modules you are up for and how much it will set you back to complete the course. If you are earning over 60k per year and you are working in the same industry as you are studying, you are better off not claiming HECS/HELP funding even if you are entitled as you will do better by paying it upfront and getting something back in your tax refund.

Computers, Internet access, stationary, printing costs, a certain amount of travel etc. can be wrangled back from the ATO come tax time, it won't amount to much, but it will work better than having a massive HECS/HELP debt should you ever need to take out a mortgage etc.

The initial application really depends on your visa status, I had PR, so everything became easier, without PR then its a bit trickier, but not impossible.

Hope it helps, best of luck with it.

Carter1986

Cheers for the info mate. ATM we are in 457 but apply for PR end of year, my course from back home is Fetac and is few years old so for what I may be looking at I'm probably better starting from scratch and just doing out here by sounds of all the red tape behind it and mightn't get that much out of the Fetac after it all anyway.

Thank you again for the info

AngryHippie

I'd give it a stab anyway, at $200 per course credit (and 180 of the for a Bachelors) its worth trying to get as many from RPL as possible. Think of it as dollars in the bank.

It can be assessed up to ten years after the fact.
(My earliest was 2000 and was still assessed in 2013 as I attended the course part-time up to 2006)

Keep in mind also, if the Uni fees get deregulated, then that current $200 could take a walk northwards in a great hurry