APAC recognises that international students bring an innovative perspective and aesthetic to our disciplines.
Accommodation
APAC is located in the heart of Brisbane City. Although we do not provide on campus student accommodation, we can recommend the wide range of independent accommodation available to an international student.
Purpose Built Student Accommodation
Within a short walk of the campus you will find a wide variety of high standard accommodation which is designed specifically for students. This site gives you some of the better known options.
Rent a House or Apartment
You may choose to rent your own accommodation. Some students choose to share a rented home with others. Quite often the experience of sharing with other students helps everyone to settle into their studies and to be successful. You can find rental houses or flats at sites including realestate.com.au and domain.com.au. There you can search for your preferred locations and style of rental accomodation. One member of the household will be required to enter a contract for the rental, so make sure you are comfortable about sharing with the other people in the house or apartment. Most accommodation in Brisbane offers 2 to 4 bedrooms. The rental obligations may vary. You can research your rights and obligations here.
Homestay
Some private citizens are happy to share a part of their house with an international student. The details may vary from home to home. It is important to clarify whether you will have your own bedroom, study area, wi-fi and bathroom. Some homestays provide all meals, some provide breakfast and dinner. Some provide meals during the week, but not on weekends. The following groups specialise in arranging homestay for students: HomeStay network and Study Vision.
Working in Australia
Under your International Student Visa you may work for up to 48 hours per fortnight during term. During vacation break there is no limit on how many hours you can work. This can help with your living costs as well as providing valuable experience.
Like all workers in Australia you have legal rights and protections. Unfortunately there have been times when some employers have tried to exploit international students by underpayment or overwork.
You can find your rights by visiting Fairwork. If you need help in understanding your rights, we can help.
Cost of Living
Brisbane offers a cost effective place to live and is a cheaper option when compared to some of Australia’s other major cities making it a good place to study and live! To find out more about the cost of lving in Brisbane when compared to other cities you can check out the Insiders Guide.
Brisbane is the third largest city in Australia and is home to approximately 2.4 million people and around 50,000 international students
Considered a cultural hub when it comes to Arts and Entertainment, Brisbane features a full calendar of opera, ballet, musicals, concerts, art exhibitions, contemporary performances and a range of theatres to choose from.
Brisbane is ranked in the top 50 worldwide for employer activity. Some of the top industries for employability include:
- tourism (including the entertainment area),
- tech, and
- education
Queensland is also home to Warner Brothers Movie World one of the largest employers of actors and screen production staff in Australia.
More information on studying and living in Brisbane
Indicative Monthly Cost of Living
- Rent
- Utilities
- Food
- Public Transport
- Indicative Total
- $840 – $2480
- $170 – $215
- $560 – $1120
- $90 – $120
- $1,705 – $4,060
This table should be taken as a guide only. How much you spend on living expenses depends on your needs an lifestyle.
Study Australia provides a helpful online cost of living calculator to estimate your weekly, monthly, and yearly living costs in greater detail.
Support Services
Support Services
APAC students have access to a Student Assistance Program (SAP) provided by AccessEAP. SAP is a professional and confidential counselling service focussing on maintaining the mental wellbeing of students. We want our students to succeed and AccessEAP can offer support through access to professionally qualified and experienced counsellors, providing the opportunity to identify problems and find ways of resolving them.
International Student Contact
APAC’s international student contact is Nakia Brighouse (nakia.brighouse@apac.edu.au).
Student Assistance
If you find you need language or study assistance, we have a wide range of resources to help you. We understand that performing arts and screen production have some very technical terms. Some of these might be unknown to a newcomer. We provide regular informal briefing sessions to help settle into the disciplines.
If you require top-up support for language, we have very good language skill providers we can recommend.
We also provide regular study skills sessions to assist all students to build their academic capacity.
Legal Assistance
If you require, we can refer you to a range of legal experts. There is a wide variety of different legal specialties. Depending on the problem you are facing, we can locate a suitable legal expert to give you advice.
Emergency and Health Services
All international students are required to hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). This provides cover for hospital and doctors costs while studying here Australia – the level of cover provided will vary depending on your provider.
Once you are in Australia if you have an urgent health problem then seek immediate medical advice. Most people find the best option is an internet search of “Emergency Hospitals near me”. Then make sure to attend as quickly as possible. If you can’t travel, then call an ambulance.
The emergency number for Ambulance, Police and Fire is 000. If you are in danger or fear that you are in an urgent health emergency, then call this number. The operator will assist you.
If the matter is not urgent, we can assist. We have expert health services close to the campus.
Financial Support
We can help you if you find you need to manage your financial services. Until you are settled in and comfortable with where to take advice, we recommend that you check with Student Services whenever you intend to make a substantial decision regarding your financial welfare.
Disability Support
We welcome students with all types of ability and disability. We make adjustments to our programs and assessment processes so you can participate successfully. We can provide some additional advice and assistance so your disability does not prevent you from enjoying studying and living in Brisbane. You will find the following resource can also be of help
International Education Agents
We welcome students from diverse cultures and backgrounds. We have chosen the following agents to work with and welcome the students they have introduced to us.
AMS Blue Bridge Pty Ltd
Head Office: Suite 3, Level 2, 137-139 Bathurst Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Mozaik Play Pty Ltd
Head Office: 4/15 Wonderland Avenue, Tamarama NSW 2026, Australia
AMET Education Pty Ltd
Head Office: 248 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC, Australia
13 Dreams Consultants
Banusi Near Jhankat, Nanakmatta Road, Khatima, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, India
7 Continents Educational Consultants
SCO 261, Plug in, S-6, Level-2, Sector-14, Panchkula, Haryana, India
Hytech Education
405-408, Samedh Complex, Nr. Associate Petrol Pump, C.G Road, Ahmedabad-380006, India
Navigators Overseas Solutions Pvt. Ltd
2nd Floor SCO – 437/438 Sector-35C, Chandigarh-1060036, India
POEC Private Limited
301 Sankalp Square, above Saffron Restaurant, Gurukul, Ahemdabad-380052, India
Trans Globe Education
Trans Globe House, Opp. Kings Land Towers, Amin Marg, Rajkot, Gujarat-360005, India
Nest Global Pty Ltd
11 Truscott Grove, Point Cook, Victoria, Australia 3030