International Students
Why Perth?
Edith Cowan University, based in Perth Western Australia is Australia's top public university for teaching quality and one of the best for student experience.
We're also one of the world's best young universities 1, with almost 6,000 international students who've chosen to study in Perth.
Perth is a vibrant, sophisticated and safe city that's regularly rated in the top 10 in the world for liveability 2.
Home to almost 2 million people, Perth is one of Australia's most multicultural cities, with around 37% of citizens being born in another country.
Perth's weather is arguably the best in Australia too. We enjoy the most days of sunshine of all of our major cities.
The mild Mediterranean climate, endless blue skies, fresh air and brilliant beaches are hard to beat!
1. Source: Times Higher Education 2019 Young University rankings.
2. Source: The Economist's annual liveability survey.
This information is available in Simplified Chinese.
Why ECU?
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THE Young University Rankings ECU has been ranked in the world's top 150 universities under 50 years old in the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Young Universities Rankings.
Young universities are measured on their teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income.
These are the same performance indicators as measured in the overall THE World University Rankings.
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Good Universities Guide In the 2020 Good Universities Guide, ECU graduates have given us a 5-star rating for:
- Teaching quality
- Skills development
- Student support
- Learning resources
- Median salary (based on the starting salary for new domestic graduates under age 25, and in their first full-time job.)
The 5-star rating for teaching quality has now been achieved for 13 straight years. We're the only public university in Australia to have achieved such a consistently high endorsement.
Read more about the Good Universities Guide.
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World University Rankings - Engineering ECU has been ranked in the world’s top 175 universities for Engineering and Technology in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2020.
This latest THE ranking moves ECU up from last year’s global top 250 into the top 175, reflecting ongoing improvements in areas such as teaching, research, international outlook and citations.
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THE Impact Rankings ECU has been ranked number 6 in the world for Gender Equality and number 11 for Quality Education in the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.
The rankings show how the global higher education sector is working towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
ECU is ranked in the top 50 overall, and also features at #22 for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and #28 for Good Health and Well-being.
Read more about the THE Impact Rankings
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QILT rankings ECU received the top undergraduate teaching quality ranking of all public universities in the Australian Governments 2019 QILT (Quality Indicators for Learning & Teaching) survey.
We're also the top-ranked Australian public university for skills development and overall educational experience (based on two-year aggregated results).
ECU also ranked best in Australia across these disciplines for teaching quality, skills development, student support, quality of educational experience and overall educational experience:
- Humanities, Culture and Social Sciences
- Rehabilitation
- Creative Arts
- Teacher Education
Read more about the QILT survey.
We're closer than you think
Perth has the same or similar time zone as many Asian cities. We’re also the closest Australian capital to cities in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Perth -3 hours
- Azerbaijan
- Pakistan
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
Perth -2.5 hours
- India
- Sri Lanka
Perth -2 hours
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
Perth -1 hours
- Indonesia
- Laos
- Mongolia
- Vietnam
Same time zone
- Brunei
- China
- Hong Kong
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Singapore
Perth +1 hours
- Indonesia
- Japan
- South Korea
What can you study here?
To help our students with a career direction, we group similar fields of work into study areas.
Within each study area below you can choose an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. And within most degree courses, you can choose your speciality, or major subject.
World Ready Experience
We equip you with the confidence and practical skills to deal with whatever challenges may come your way, no matter where you are in the world.
Stay longer on your student visa
From November 2019, international students may be eligible to stay in Western Australia for three years after completing their undergraduate or postgraduate study.
A post-study work visa may give you the opportunity to gain more work experience and you could be eligible for skills assessments required for a skilled visa application.
There may also be an opportunity for you to apply for a limited number of scholarships, providing up to $15,000 per year to support study and living expenses. For ECU, the scholarship would require you to study at our South West Campus in Bunbury.
Note: These announcements are a positive development for international students interested in studying in Perth, but are subject to change as they are formally implemented by the relevant state and federal government departments.
More about post-study work visas
International scholarships
International students are eligible to apply for scholarships to study our undergraduate or postgraduate courses. Scholarships can help reduce your fees, text books and living expenses.
Stories from our international students
Perth is Australia’s most multicultural city, with around 35% of its citizens being born in another country.
Student
stories
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"ECU has the best engineering laboratory facilities in Western Australia"
Wasif AliBachelor of Engineering (Electrical Power) Honours student, Pakistan I chose ECU for its high-quality teaching standards and world-class laboratory facilities. I was interested in mathematics and physics in high school. However, the main inspiration behind choosing electrical engineering was my passion for renewable energy.
ECU provides a very friendly environment for studies, the classes are smaller which allows lecturers and student to engage in an effective manner. I also joined a couple of academic and social clubs at university and made so many good friends and industry connections.
I took an internship program in my last semester and I’m still working with that company. It is an amazing experience to realise that the concepts and theories which I learn at the university have numerous applications in real life.
The best features of Perth are its weather and very friendly people. I like to hang out with friends and colleagues, do rock climbing, go to the beach and play badminton.
ECU has the best engineering laboratory facilities in Western Australia. I would strongly encourage local and international students to choose ECU and pursue their career in STEM.
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"I chose ECU because of the excellent reputation it enjoyed in the field of Cyber Security"
Mayank MehraMaster of Cyber Security postgraduate and currently employed at the Department of the Premier and Cabinet of WA I've always had a keen interest in the field of computer sciences and I found cyber security to be a highly dynamic and challenging discipline. Having decided to study Cyber Security, I chose ECU because of the excellent reputation it enjoyed in this field. My study experience here has been great and has presented me with a number of opportunities to build my career. The annual ECU Science Careers Fair was a great opportunity to meet and network with representatives from leading organisations such as Deloitte, KPMG and PWC and government agencies. I have found the lecturers at ECU to be very helpful and supportive and they helped us gain the skills required to make a successful transition from study to the workplace.
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"I feel safe and a sense of belonging when I am at ECU"
Elsa ChewBiomedical Science student I chose ECU for biomedical science because it has a flexible course structure. In my three years of studies, I was allowed to take units that interest me as electives, while also completing compulsory (core) units. It enhanced my whole study experience.
The atmosphere at ECU is inclusive and has a community feeling to it. I feel safe and a sense of belonging when I am at ECU. Lecturers are very engaging and approachable which helped me keep track on my studies. They are knowledgeable and passionate about the things they do.
If you are an international student who is new to ECU, get yourself involved as much as you can in whatever interests you. Help is always available and there are people ready to advocate for you if you need them. Join a club or a University activity, volunteer your time and put yourself out there!