A student visa is required for a semester abroad in Australia. This costs €440 and can/must be applied for online. My visa was accepted within one day. In order to study at Southern Cross University (SCU), it is compulsory to take out health insurance. However, as the health insurance offered by the university doesn’t cover too much, I decided to take out additional private international health insurance.

I flew with Emirates from Düsseldorf via Dubai to Brisbane. I spent the first two days in Brisbane, where I first acclimatized and took in the sights. Then I took the train to the Gold Coast.

I found my accommodation on flatmastes.com.au before I left Germany. I lived with an Australian couple and another student. I paid the equivalent of around €180 per week in rent. Rental prices in Australia are generally very high. Fortunately, my landlord provided me with a bicycle, which I used to get to campus every day. The ride took about 15 minutes and most of the bike path ran directly along the beach.

My semester abroad in Australia began on June 27 with an orientation week, during which I was given basic information about studying, the university and the online portals. I took a total of three courses at SCU: Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Economics for Decision Making and Finance for Business.

The study model at SCU is structured differently than at the FHDW. For each course, you attend a one-hour workshop and a two-hour tutorial once a week. The workshops took place online via Zoom, while the tutorials were taught on site. There is also a strong focus on self-study at SCU. You have to look at the module content in advance. These are then explained in more detail in the tutorial and workshop. Without preparation, it is difficult to keep up. In addition, the examinations are very different to those in Germany. At SCU, you have to submit an assessment during the semester, usually every two weeks, which makes up a percentage of your final grade. The percentage varies depending on the difficulty and time required for each assessment. Assessments can be, for example, videos, case studies, reports, tests or exams.

The SCU campus consists of three buildings and is very modern. It is not far from the beach, and if you choose the right place, you can study or work on assessments with a view of the beach and the Surfers Paradise skyline.

SCU offers many leisure activities for students. CoastRs (the SCU student association) offers many activities, vouchers and competitions during the week. There is also a volleyball and tennis course once a week. The weekend excursions with “Outback Jack” to the Gold Coast are highly recommended. The excursions were great fun every time, we got to see interesting places worth seeing, some of which even the locals didn’t know about, and it’s a good opportunity to make new friends.

In general, I found it very easy to make contacts with Australians and other students. Most of them are very relaxed, open and friendly and it’s easy to get into conversation with them, especially if you tell them you’re from the other side of the world J. The staff at SCU are also very friendly and helpful if you have any questions or problems.

The Gold Coast is a 70 km stretch of coastline with endless white sandy beaches. For me, the Gold Coast was a perfect place to live and study because of its great diversity. You have good weather almost all year round (over 20 degrees even in winter), the beach, lots of malls with shopping opportunities and a good mix of big city flair (Surfers Paradise) and more relaxed sections that feel more like a small town.

There is also the rainforest in the Gold Coast hinterland to discover. The Gold Coast is one of the most famous places to surf in Australia, and not just because of the “Surfers Paradise” center. Snapper Rocks, a well-known surf spot, is also close to the university. So the Gold Coast is all about surfing. In general, rugby and Australian rules football dominate in Australia. Soccer is more of a fringe sport there.

Culinary-wise, you can find almost everything in Australia that you know from Germany/Europe. A tip from me: be sure to try TimTams (chocolate biscuits).

To get around the Gold Coast, I mostly used my bike or the bus/train for longer distances. To use public transport, you need a GoCard. With the GoCard, you check in and out of the bus and train when you get on and off. A journey usually costs between A$1 and A$2 with a student discount (I couldn’t find an exact concept for charging during my time there). Public transport is very reliable and runs mostly during the day and at night. However, you should allow more time to cover longer distances by public transport.

Thanks to my dual study program, I was lucky enough to have a continuous income during my time in Australia. I also received financial support from the PROMOS scholarship. In order to keep track of the costs during my time, I continuously created an Excel file. This gave me the following average weekly result:

Rent: € 180
Food: € 80
Leisure: € 50
Other: € 10
Total: € 320

The costs depend on where you set your priorities. In addition, the costs for my trips to Sydney, Melbourne etc. are not included. I didn’t open an account in Australia as I couldn’t withdraw money abroad for free with my Visa card.