35 Stirling Highway, Perth WA, 6009, Australia
Career Counselling
The University of Western Australia is a top 100 university located in Perth, Australia. Founded in 1911, it is now home to over 25,000 students, with over 60% of them being undergraduates.
The main campus of UWA is located on the banks of the Swan River, ten minutes from the city of Perth. This 161 acre campus combines natural beauty with heritage sandstone buildings and modern research, sporting, and academic facilities. Other campuses are at Albany, five hours from Perth, and the UWA Health Campus at the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre.
...| Establishment year | 1911 |
| Total Students | 27,116 (2021; total headcount) 19,756 (2021; full time) |
| International Students | 4,000+ |
| QS World University Rankings 2024 | 72 |
| Campus Size | N/A |
| Total Number of Campuses | 3 |
| University Website | https://www.uwa.edu.au/ |
| No. of Schools and Divisions | 22 Schools |
| Nobel Prize Winner Alumni | 2 Faculty Members |
| No. of Education Programs | 144 (undergraduate), 171 (postgraduate) |
| Student to Faculty ratio | 19:1 |
The University of Western Australia offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses through 22 Schools.
UWA earlier had four Faculties under which all Schools were organised, but this structure has been streamlined to 22 Schools, 46 Research Centres, and 4 Research Institutes. The Research Institutes include the UWA Institute of Agriculture and the UWA Oceans Institute. Institutional Research Centres include the Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy, the Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training, the Centre for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, the Centre for Evolutionary Biology, the Centre for Rock Art and Management, the Centre for Energy, and the Berndt Research Foundation, which supports research into Aboriginal social and cultural anthropology in Australia.
International applicants to undergraduate courses at UWA can satisfy the academic requirements for admission by successfully completing a Year 12 school leaving examination at any of several international boards of education or by taking the US SAT. Individual courses may mandate minimum performance levels on these tests, and details can be found on the course pages. The English language requirements for overseas UG applicants can be satisfied by taking and performing well in any one of more than 25 tests, including the TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE. The full list of tests and associated requirements can be found on the relevant University web page.
Postgraduate international applicants must have an undergraduate degree from a recognised institution, with performance requirements (average grades) and prerequisite subjects in that degree varying based on the UWA PG course of interest. The English language requirements for PG taught courses are similar to the international UG requirements.
Domestic applicants to UG courses at UWA are admitted based on their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR); the minimum threshold varies by course. The ATAR requirement can be adjusted based on socio-economic status, adverse circumstances, and financial need. Domestic applicants to PG courses have similar course-specific UG grade requirements as international candidates do, but the English language requirements are waived for many courses.
Domestic applicants to undergraduate courses at UWA can apply either directly, or via the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC). After submitting school scores and any other materials that specific courses may require (e.g. a portfolio for the School of Design’s courses), the application is processed and the decision is sent by email. If the result is positive, the offer letter will contain a date by which the offer must be accepted, and the location confirmed.
International applications to UG courses follow a process similar to that for domestic UG applicants; however, the entry criteria and supporting documents (e.g. English proficiency) are different, and must be looked up in the relevant course pages. TISC is not an option for overseas candidates, and all applications must be made directly to UWA.
Applicants to postgraduate courses (both domestic and international) at UWA can apply directly to the university. After a careful check of eligibility criteria and application deadlines (which are both course specific), applications can be submitted on this portal, with supporting documents attached. International PG applicants will need to pay a fee of $100 during this process; there is no fee for domestic candidates. UWA usually responds to applications with a decision within ten business days.
UWA maintains an online fee calculator tool to help estimate tuition fees for all students - domestic and international, UG and PG - at the University.
Undergraduate students from Australia are charged reduced tuition fees (the student contribution amount) due to a subsidy from the Government, via the Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) scheme. Therefore, most UG programs are linked to payments of $4,124 to $15,142 per year, in four different course bands.
Postgraduate domestic students have the same bands as UG students in CSP subsidised courses; however, for non-supported courses, they pay the full domestic tuition fee, which is only 10% - 20% lower than the corresponding course fee for international students.
Undergraduate international students pay substantially higher fees; for example, the average annual tuition fee for the Bachelor of Arts degree is $35,900, and that for the Bachelor of Engineering degree is $45,500.
Postgraduate international students pay fees that are approximately in line with UG international fees for most courses: between $40,000 and $50,000 per year. The MBA degree has an associated annual tuition fee of $54,300. The highest fees are typically associated with the Doctor of Medicine degree: $89,200 per year.
All students must pay a Student Services and Amenities Fee, fixed at a maximum of $326. Living costs (accommodation, food, travel, and entertainment) can exceed $20,000 per year; the University provides data to help estimate individual costs and create budgets.
The University of Western Australia has three campuses. The main campus, located at Crawley in Perth, occupies 161 acres of land, and contains iconic buildings like the Winthrop Tower and other historic sandstone structures located near futuristic labs and studios. Green spaces abound, and every amenity is available: a museum, a gallery, an open air theatre, cafes, and shopping centres. The Albany campus is located five hours from Perth; many students from rural schools spend a transition year at this campus getting used to University life before moving to the city. Finally, the UWA Health Campus is located at the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, and is an ideal training site for medical and dental students, as they acquire practical experience through the two on-site hospitals. The University also has additional facilities in Claremont and Nedlands, located close to the main Crawley campus.
The UWA Exercise and Performance Centre schedules individual and group fitness classes and activities to improve health and performance. All group exercises are supervised by qualified physiologists and physiotherapists. It also runs customised clinical programs that are designed to use the subject's medical history to come up with the best possible exercise regimen recommendation.
UWA maintains several world-class sporting facilities that can be booked online by any member of the staff or student community. UWA Sports Park has 81 acres of playing fields, and is located close to the main Perth campus. Rugby, cricket, hockey, tennis, and AFL athletes practise here. The UWA Watersports Complex is a great venue for seminars and networking events because of the bay view. The UWA Aquatic Centre is located on campus, and has three swimming pools, one of which is ideally suited to water polo games. There is even a Martial Arts Centre on campus, which has a dojo in addition to venues to play volleyball and badminton.
UWA helps its students progress towards their career goals through multiple interventions. For example, students can book one-on-one career guidance sessions, attend resume and interview workshops, be assigned career mentors from among senior students and alumni, and browse and apply to job placements. It also helps students think through and build skills that are relevant to the career fields that they are interested in. All students are encouraged to use the service to explore internship and Work learning opportunities, where they can experience live industry problems. UniHub is the online career portal where every activity - from accessing resources to applying for jobs - can be completed.
The University of Western Australia provides several scholarships to domestic and international students based on academic excellence, financial need, athletic achievements, and leadership potential. The scholarships page maintained by UWA has information on these awards, and on the eligibility requirements and admission procedures. For international students alone, there are nearly 250 different scholarship programs available.
The UWA Fogarty Foundation Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship in Western Australia; it is awarded to domestic students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievements (ATAR of 98 or above), and exceptional skills in any 3 of these 5 fields: academic, leadership, community service, arts, and sport. Its value is $10,000 per year, and is paid throughout undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
Academic Excellence Scholarships are open to both domestic and international students; there are 185 such scholarships at UWA, and many of them have been donated by individuals / organisations.
The Global Excellence Scholarship is awarded to domestic and international students (both UG and PG) who have excellent grades in their school leaving / undergraduate examinations. It entails an annual tuition fee discount of $12,000, amounting to a potential total reduction of up to $48,000 over the full duration of a degree.
