University Spotlight: University of Melbourne

At a glance

Melbourne Campus, Parkville, Victoria Walk the historic Parkville campus, close to the centre of Melbourne. This is our first Australian university in the series. Ranked #22 in the world (QS 2027) · #1 in Australia QS World University Rankings 2027: first in Australia for Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation and International Research Network.

University: University of Melbourne · Member of the Group of Eight, Australia’s group of leading research universities · 9 faculties
Location: Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The main campus sits next to the city centre. The time difference from India is about 4.5 to 5.5 hours, and direct flights run from several Indian cities (check current airlines).
Founded: 1853 · Over 58,000 students · 524,000+ alumni in over 60 countries
City: Melbourne is one of the larger and better known student cities in the world. Check the latest city rankings before quoting any number.
Popular Subjects: Business and Economics, Science, Biomedicine, Arts, Design, Engineering and IT, Medicine, Law
Curriculum Accepted: CBSE, CISCE (ISC), Indian State Boards and Cambridge A Level

A tour of the campus is available on YouTube. Watch the University of Melbourne Campus Tour. This video was made by an independent creator, not by the university. It shows the research buildings, the lecture spaces and student life. The university also offers a self-guided tour and a live walking tour with student ambassadors. Check the campus tour page on unimelb.edu.au for the current options.

Visit a university in person. I strongly recommend that families of Grade 9 and above students visit at least one university: this one, a local university in India, or any place you choose. Seeing the labs and classrooms and talking to students gives a child something a virtual tour cannot. If you need help planning a visit, write to me at pcmadankumar@gmail.com.

Melbourne Admission Requirements for CBSE/State Boards and Cambridge A Level

Please read the Melbourne Model row and the Intake and Deadlines row with care. They are the two things most Indian families do not expect from an Australian university.

A Planning Note Every Family Should Read First Melbourne’s year starts in late February or early March, not in September like the UK, the US or Canada. The closing date for the February 2027 start is 30 November 2026. That start is meant for students who have already finished school. A student who completes Class 12 or A Level in 2027 would normally start in February 2028. Melbourne has not yet published its 2028 dates, so treat the dates below for 2028 as likely, not fixed.

Requirement	CBSE / Indian State Boards	Cambridge A Level
Boards Accepted	CBSE (All India Senior School Certificate), CISCE (Indian School Certificate) and Indian State Boards are all on Melbourne’s list of recognised qualifications.	Cambridge A Levels are accepted. A minimum of three A Levels is needed, with at least grade C in the subjects the course requires.
Minimum to Apply	Melbourne sets an entry score for each course and publishes it in its entry score guides. Earlier guides placed the Class 12 average between about 75 and 93 percent, depending on the course. Check the guide for your child’s course, because the figures change each year. Mathematics is needed for courses such as Science, Commerce and some Design pathways.	Same method. Melbourne converts A Level results to its own entry score for each course. Check the guide for the course and the prerequisite subjects.
The Melbourne Model	Melbourne is unusual in Australia. Medicine, Law and Dentistry are not offered as a first degree. A student first completes a broad three year bachelor’s degree (Arts, Science, Commerce, Biomedicine, Design or Environments), then applies for a professional degree. Check the course pages for Engineering, which also follows a longer route.	Same structure for every applicant. No board gets direct entry into a professional degree. Fees for these later degrees are set separately and are not yet confirmed for 2027 here, so ask FP before you plan the whole cost.
English Proficiency	Melbourne asks for proof of English, either from earlier study in English or from an approved test. Many undergraduate courses ask for about IELTS 6.5 overall, but some courses ask for more. A Class 12 English mark does not always replace the test, so check before you assume.	A Level English Language, English Literature or English Language and Literature at grade C or higher meets the English rule. Check the course page for any extra condition.
Standardised Tests	No SAT or ACT is asked for most courses, and no Indian entrance exam such as JEE is needed. Some courses ask for extra selection tasks, such as a portfolio, so read the course page.	Same rule for A Level students.
Application Portal	Apply online through the University of Melbourne’s international applicant page. There is no shared system like UCAS or the Common App. Upload transcripts, predicted or final results and English test results if needed.	Same portal and same steps.
Intake and Deadlines	The main intake starts in February or March. A smaller mid year intake starts in July for some courses. For 2027, the closing dates were 30 November 2026 (start of year) and 31 May 2027 (mid year). Melbourne accepts applications while results are still pending and can give a conditional offer. The offer becomes unconditional only after final results are sent. CBSE results come out about May. For a student finishing Class 12 in 2027, this means results are in hand well before a likely late 2027 closing date for February 2028, a gap of about nine months. Mid year entry in July is hard, since results and visa steps must all fit in a few weeks.	Same intake and dates. Cambridge students in India usually sit the March series, so A Level results come in May, like CBSE. A student finishing in 2027 can apply with predicted grades for a conditional offer, and the start is February 2028, a gap of about nine months. A July 2027 start is as hard as for CBSE, since results and visa steps must all fit in a few weeks.
Student Visa (Subclass 500)	The visa application charge is AUD 2,500 (~INR 1.7 lakhs at ~AUD 67/INR, October 2026) from 1 July 2026, up from AUD 2,000. Since 23 March 2024 every applicant must also pass the Genuine Student requirement, a set of questions about your child’s study plan and circumstances. The visa rules also ask for proof of living costs, about AUD 29,710 for twelve months (~INR 20 lakhs), on top of fees and travel. The visa needs a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from Melbourne.	Same visa rules and costs for every international student, whichever board they studied.
Post-Study Work Visa (Temporary Graduate, Subclass 485)	The fee rose to AUD 4,600 (~INR 3.1 lakhs) on 1 March 2026. The applicant must be 35 or younger. A bachelor’s graduate can usually stay up to 2 years. Indian passport holders may have different stay lengths under the India Australia trade agreement, so ask FP to check before you plan. This visa is not permanent residency. It is a work period, and later steps need separate visas.	Same rules and fee for every international graduate.

Common to both pathways

Melbourne offers no shortcut by board. Both CBSE and Cambridge students apply through the same portal, with academic results, English proof and any course tasks. The Melbourne Model applies to everyone. A student should be happy to spend three years on a broad degree before the professional one. This is closer to the US pattern of a first degree and then professional school than to other Australian universities.

A Melbourne Alumna Worth Knowing

Melbourne has produced researchers who changed medicine. One example is Elizabeth Blackburn, an alumna of the University of Melbourne, who shared a Nobel Prize in Medicine for work on how chromosomes protect themselves.

Why Should Your Child Consider the University of Melbourne?

Australia’s Top Ranked University

Melbourne is #22 in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and is the top Australian university in that list. Within Australia it is first for Academic Reputation (99.7 out of 100), Employer Reputation (98.3) and International Research Network (97.4). Melbourne competes at a high level, and its entry bar is lower than Oxford, Cambridge or the Ivy League. Please remember that ranks move each year and a course is more important than a rank.

The Melbourne Model, Broad First and Specialist Later

A student at Melbourne spends the first three years on a broad bachelor’s degree, in Arts, Science, Commerce, Biomedicine, Design or Environments. After that, the student applies for a professional degree such as Medicine, Law or Dentistry. The first year helps a student try different subjects and change direction without changing university. It suits a student who is strong in several subjects and not sure at 17 which career to choose. It is a poor fit for a student who already wants a short route to one profession, because the total time and cost are longer.

Real Scholarships, With No Form to Fill

Melbourne gives two undergraduate scholarships by automatic consideration. There is no form and no separate closing date. For students starting in 2027 or later, the Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship gives 20 percent off tuition for the whole course (earlier awards gave 25 percent). It is for citizens of countries with a GDP per person of US$10,000 or less on World Bank figures, and it is based on final school results. India is expected to qualify, but Melbourne decides. The Melbourne International Excellence Scholarship also gives 20 percent off for the whole course, with at least 140 awards, to the students with the highest course entry scores. A student cannot hold either one along with another fee sponsorship or discount. Both are for students with no earlier university study. Notice that final results matter, so a student who applies with predicted results cannot be sure of the award until results arrive.

A Large International Community

About 46 percent of Melbourne’s students are international, from over 150 nationalities. The university has an India page and an India alumni network, and it offers support for accommodation and arrival. The campus is close to the city centre. We could not confirm a recent count of Indian students, so please ask us if the number matters to your decision.

What parents should know

CRITICAL. Visa costs have risen quickly. The student visa is AUD 2,500 (~INR 1.7 lakhs) from 1 July 2026. The post-study work visa is AUD 4,600 (~INR 3.1 lakhs) since 1 March 2026. The two together are about AUD 7,100 (~INR 4.8 lakhs) in government fees, before health cover and any agent or test costs.
CRITICAL. Dates differ by board. For the February 2027 start the closing date was 30 November 2026, so it is for students who finished school in 2026. A child finishing Class 12 or A Level in 2027 should plan for February 2028. Melbourne has not yet published 2028 dates, so watch its page from mid 2027.
Tuition is high. Melbourne’s own page shows the 2026 first year fee for Biomedicine at AUD 54,780 to 61,460 (~INR 37–41 lakhs at ~AUD 67/INR, October 2026). Fees for 2027 are in Melbourne’s fee tables but we could not confirm them, and fees usually rise each year. Other degrees have their own fee, so check the course page.
Living costs: the visa rules ask for about AUD 29,710 a year (~INR 20 lakhs) as proof of funds for the student. Real costs depend on housing and lifestyle. Melbourne also asks for a deposit and health cover when you accept an offer, so keep money ready.
The Melbourne Model: no Medicine, Law or Dentistry as a first degree. A student does a three year bachelor’s first, then applies separately for a professional degree. Total time and cost are longer than in a direct entry system.
National Planning Level: Australia has set 295,000 new international students for 2027, the same as 2026. It is a planning level and not a hard cap. Melbourne’s own share is 10,500 new overseas students across all courses. No university gets less than in 2026. Visa applications get priority handling until a university reaches 80 percent of its share. After that they are still accepted but processed more slowly, so apply early and do not leave the visa to the last month.
No SAT, ACT or Indian entrance exam is asked for most courses. Some courses add selection tasks, so read each course page.
Check English rules early. A Class 12 English mark may not replace an English test.
Post-study work: the Temporary Graduate visa needs the applicant to be 35 or younger, and a bachelor’s graduate usually gets up to 2 years. It is a work visa, not permanent residency.

Talk to me

To book a Melbourne counselling session for your family, write to me at pcmadankumar@gmail.com or use my contact page. I will cover the Melbourne Model, course choice, visa costs, dates by board and scholarships. I will also compare Melbourne with the UK and US options in this series.

Sources

University of Melbourne in Top 25 for QS World University Rankings (Official) — #22 in QS 2027; #1 in Australia for Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation and International Research Network.
University of Melbourne Facts and Figures (Official) — 1853; over 58,000 students; 524,000+ alumni; 46 percent international students; 9 faculties.
Recognised Qualifications for Undergraduate Entry (Official) — CBSE, CISCE and State Boards recognised; Cambridge A Level needs three A Levels, grade C in prerequisites.
International Undergraduate Applications (Official) — Closing dates 30 November 2026 and 31 May 2027; predicted or final results; conditional offers.
Bachelor of Biomedicine Fees (Official) — 2026 indicative first year fee for international students AUD 54,780 to 61,460.
Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship (Official) — 20 percent fee remission from 2027; GDP per capita US$10,000 or less; automatic consideration.
Melbourne International Excellence Scholarship, Undergraduate (Official) — 20 percent fee remission; at least 140 awards; automatic consideration for 2027 onwards.
Australia Confirms International Education Settings for 2027 (Study Australia, Government) — National Planning Level 295,000; not a cap; 80 percent priority processing rule.
Indicative Allocations for New Overseas Students, 2027 (Department of Education) — University of Melbourne 10,500; public universities 161,725.
Student and Temporary Graduate Visa Changes 2024 (Study Australia, Government) — Genuine Student requirement from 23 March 2024; Temporary Graduate age limit 35.
Australia Student Visa Fee Increase, July 2026 (Fragomen) — Student visa application charge AUD 2,500 from 1 July 2026.
Australia Doubles Post-Study Work Visa Application Fee (ICEF Monitor) — Temporary Graduate visa fee AUD 4,600 from 1 March 2026.
Australia Student Visa Fee 2026 (Migratio, third party) — Proof of living costs AUD 29,710 for twelve months for the main student.

Checked by Madan Kumar PC on 11 Oct 2026. Fees, dates and rules change. Always check the official link before applying.

Talk to a career counsellor. A good counsellor can help you work out what this means for you. You can also write to me at pcmadankumar@gmail.com or use mycontact page.