In our opinion, the visa is one of the most important documents for the semester abroad in Australia and should be taken care of promptly and conscientiously. Fortunately, the application itself was approved within a few minutes, which meant that a huge burden had already been lifted from our shoulders. Insurance is definitely a good idea, which is why we opted for additional private international health insurance, which covers all costs in the event of illness and also includes repatriation to Germany. Further health insurance is taken out through the university in Australia (compulsory).

In our case, contact with Southern Cross University always went smoothly and we were always able to get help with all our concerns. The contact persons, who are also in contact with the FHDW International Office, are always friendly and helpful.

Our journey began two weeks before the start of our studies, so we had time to travel at the beginning, which of course many students also take advantage of during the semester break or after the semester. Then, as with all students, our semester began with Orientation Week, during which all the important information was first communicated online before all students met on campus in the middle of the week. There were snacks, a tour, a welcome including a performance by the Aborigines and later a trip to a wildlife sanctuary. Thanks to the information from the online events, we already knew when we had tutorials and workshops. In two courses, you usually have a one-hour workshop (online) and a two-hour tutorial on site each week.

The campus is located right next to Gold Coast Airport and just a few minutes’ walk from the beach. It is spacious, modern and offers a café and numerous activities that students can take part in. This makes it very easy to integrate into student life and make contact with other students, and first friendships are quickly formed. Some examples of activities are yoga and Zumba on campus, beach volleyball on the beach, a surfing course and numerous workshops. Public transport is really good, so you can get to campus quickly and at reasonable prices on the airport express bus, even from Surfers Paradise, which is a little further away.

We have kept an Excel spreadsheet for the entire period, which contains all the costs of the semester abroad per person (!). This is of course very detailed, but should give you an honest and realistic insight into the very high costs of a semester abroad in Australia.

To summarize the costs, you should budget around €800 to €1,000 per person per month for rent, which is the biggest cost item. We spent around €200 to €250 per person per month on food. It has to be said that we cooked healthy, fresh meals every day and rarely ate out, as this is very expensive in Australia.

Start looking for accommodation as early as possible, as this is a major problem on the Gold Coast. When shopping, large supermarket chains such as Coles, Aldi and Woolworths are highly recommended. It is advisable to open an Australian bank account, which is usually free. However, we have consistently used our free account with Revolut, which we can recommend without reservation. The Australian bank account is only important if you want to work or need reimbursements from the student health insurance.