Overview
Welcome to the OzTREKK Boarding Pass!
This will be your predeparture step-by-step guide, taking you from accepting your offer to arriving in Australia or New Zealand.
#OzTREKKTip: Always refresh/clear your cache on every visit to this site to ensure you’re seeing any updates.
Here’s what you’ll find on this page:
Where Will You Be Studying?
Click on your university for more information.
Accepting Your Offer
Congratulations! You’ve received a letter of offer! Once the initial excitement wears off, you are probably wondering, “now what?”
Important: Deposits are required to accept an Australian university offer. Although you can use your offer letter to have a loan approved, you will not be able to use loans or a line of credit to pay the initial deposit. Canadian banks require proof of enrollment before they will be able to finalize a student loans.
Below, you will find information about making your deposit, purchasing health insurance, and more!
Tips from OzTREKK
“Read, absorb, and understand your refund policy. Then read it again.” Lara, Student Advisor
“Take a moment to read all the documents that are sent to you. This is a big deal—give it its due. Also enjoy it. Not everyone gets to this stage.” Jaime, Director
“Take a sec to make sure you feel comfortable with the offer. You can always change your mind, but in most cases, you can take a moment, speak with your family, and have a good think. And in the cases were time is of the utmost importance, try to do that beforehand!” 😊 Jaime, Director
“If there’s anything you’re unclear about in your offer letter, we’re just a call or email away! We’ve seen hundreds of offer letters and we’re here to help.” Heather, Operations Coordinator/Office Administrator
Got Your CoE
You’ve figured out how to accept and pay your deposit. Your university has sent you your Confirmation of Enrollment document. Very cool. Things are getting official, and you are probably quite anxious to start the next steps! Below, you will find information about applying for your student visa, scheduling a health exam, taking family members, and more.
OzTREKK Tips
“Review your CoE and please make sure your name, DOB etc. matches your passport to a T.” Leanna, Marketing Coordinator
“If you’re getting a new passport while you study, no worries. It will automatically be updated. If you’re getting a new passport before you apply for your visa, let us know so we can help you decide if we get your CoE updated.” Jaime, Director
“There isn’t actually a card for OSHC. The card is, basically, you printing a little fake card and tucking it in your wallet. You will be unable to do this until 1 – 2 weeks prior to your program’s start date.” Jaime, Director
“You only need to get a health examination as part of your visa if you’re prompted to do so.” Casey, Territory Manager, Vancouver
“Take some time to celebrate. You’ve made it one step closer to achieving your dream!” Matthew, Applications Manager
Financing 101
As a student from Canada studying at an Australian university, you will be considered an international student and therefore charged international student tuition fees.
You may be curious to find out how do students pay for all this?!
OzTREKK students typically finance their studies using professional student lines of credit, Canadian student loans, and personal / family savings. Below, it is all broken down for you.
OzTREKK Tips
“You know what you can expect to pay for tuition, but what about your cost of living? Take a look at a comparison site to estimate how much to budget for your day-to-day expenses. I like to use expatistan.com.” – Lara, Student Advisor
“Watch the trends and news in the currency exchange markets. The difference of a few % in the exchange rate between Canadian and Australian dollars can save you hundreds/thousands of dollars when you’re paying for a semester’s tuition.” – Charlynn, Admissions Manager
“Use the resources that are available to you! Attend predep webinars and events and connect with other students before you go! – Meghan, Sr. Student Advisor
“If your bank is having trouble with the transaction, have them give us a ring! We’re happy to explain the process to them.” – Shannon, Student Engagement Manager
“Make an appointment with the bank as soon as possible. It can sometimes take them a while to process your line of credit application, so the more time they have to assess your application, the better!” – Matthew, Applications Manager
“Don’t worry about every single transaction. For your deposit, just pay the fastest way you can. For all subsequent payments, you’ll have a ton of flexibility and much more time to review. Don’t stress about a deposit.” – Jaime, Director
“When you’re transferring money, institutions will combine fees and exchange rate in ways that are hard to compare, so it’s best to compare the total amount you will receive in Australian dollars at the other end when looking at your options.” – Jaime, Director
Student Tips About $$
Transferring Money
“Yes, use wise and open an Australian bank as well. Can ask students for a referral code!”
“USE WISE. And make sure you get a bank account that can utilize wise as a payee. This will save you hundreds of dollars maybe even thousands over the course of your time here.”
“I did it through my bank, I know some people used wise but I saw that there was some issues with it. Going directly through my bank allowed me to have the money almost instantly.”
“Make sure you double, even triple check the account numbers and SWIFT codes for the account you are transferring to. Also, there are often fees for accepting international transfers so make sure you plan accordingly when sending any funds.”
“I use Remitly. My dad has access to my student loan in Canada and he withdraws from it and sends me money as I need it to my Australian account. Remitly has pretty low fees and the transfers process within a day.”
“The money transfer is actually quite fast – usually, when I transfer money from Canadian Account, it reaches my account in Australia on the same day. I would suggest having a family member keep the some of the loan money in their account and work out with them as to when to send you the amount you need every time.”
“I personally have found success using a credit card that accurately matches the dollar exchange rate (CAD to AUD). I make 99% of purchases with my Canadian credit card and thus pay it off with my Canadian bank account. You are definitely able to open a bank account here and transfer money from Canada/America to Australia/NZ (although will incur a fee). I would eventually set up an account here especially if you plan on working or needing to take out cash. It is a pretty seamless process. As far as transferring money, many banks have free/cheap transfer rates or you can look into third party apps like “Wise” which makes the process very easy as well.”
“Use Wise! easiest and cheapest way to quickly transfer money instantly.”
“Use WISE! It’s a great app for cheap money conversion. Set it up BEFORE you leave Canada. Also, apply for OSAP or whatever your provincial loan is, if you qualify it really helps with rent! I am supporting myself entirely through this process (ie. no parental or family financial support) so working two jobs while I am here, as well as working full-time while I’m home has been necessary – but it’s doable!”
“Once I set up an Australian bank account it has been really easy to transfer money back an forth just through my banks with no fees (CIBC – Westpac)”
“Set up an account with Wise (Wise app) as they have the lowest cost for transferring money as well as being easy to transfer money from different currencies and countries. I would also suggest looking at exchange rates between CAD and AUD or NZD before exchanging the whole tuition amount into AUD/NZD.”
“EQ and Wise are your best bet.”
“Some banks have a cheaper fees. Also try to transfer on days where the Canadian dollar is strongest.”
Budgeting for materials, living expenses, travel, etc.
“Living expenses and transportation has been expensive. You therefore have to come in the city financially ready.”
Living in private housing? “Budget for buying a fridge, washer and dryer! Very expensive for a ‘unknown’ expense.”
“Financial aspects of living in Sydney. It’s hugely expensive on top of tuition and equipment needed for the program.”
“[There are] extra costs that you find out about when you get there e.g., uniforms, physio kits…”
“The price of living expenses is higher than I expected.”
“The location of classes and the required commuting between the campus and hospitals.”
“All the additional purchases you have to make for dental tools once you enter the program.”
“A lot of items here that you use every day are ridiculously expensive! Pack maple syrup for pancakes” 🙂
Heading to Australia
You’ve accepted your offer, have your student visa, figured out your finances, and now you get to the exciting part!
Before you get ready to leave, you will want to ensure you are prepared for accommodation, meet clinical compliance requirements, and absorb predeparture information for anything you may have missed.
Let’s go!
You’ve Arrived
You made it! Now what?
You have survived probably the longest flight of your life and have landed in the Land Down Under. You are probably feeling all the emotions!
Below, you will find information on working in Australia, exploring cities, student tips, and more!