Australian Study Points in Your EOI: The Study Requirement
What Is the Australian Study Requirement?
The Australian Study Requirement (ASR) is a study condition that brings 5 bonus points in the SkillSelect EOI system. It is not a compulsory points category — you can still lodge a valid EOI without it — but 5 bonus points can make an important difference in the competitive environment of invitation rounds.
It is important to understand from the outset: not all study in Australia counts towards ASR points. Only study in a regional area (outside the major cities) is eligible for these points.
Conditions to Earn ASR Points
To be eligible for the 5 bonus ASR points, you need to meet all of the following requirements at the same time:
First — a minimum of 2 years of study. You must complete at least 2 years of study (equivalent to a minimum of 16 months of actual study for a full-time course) at a registered education provider in Australia. The course must lead to a formal qualification (diploma, bachelor, master, or doctorate).
Second — study in a regional area. The education provider must be located in an area defined by DHA as “regional Australia”. This list does not include the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.
Third — study in Australia (not online from overseas). You must actually study and live in Australia during that time, not study online remotely from your home country or elsewhere.
What Counts as a Regional Area?
This is the point most people get confused about. “Regional Australia” under the DHA definition covers most of the country, but does not include the following metropolitan areas:
- Greater Sydney (Sydney and its surrounds)
- Greater Melbourne
- Greater Brisbane
- Greater Perth
However, Greater Adelaide and Greater Hobart do count as regional for ASR purposes. This is a particular detail that many people are not aware of — studying at university in Adelaide or Hobart can be eligible for ASR points.
In addition, all other cities, towns, and rural areas across Australia count as regional. This includes cities such as Canberra (ACT), Darwin (NT), Gold Coast, Cairns, Townsville, Wollongong, Newcastle, Geelong, and so on.
Study in a Major City Does Not Count
This is the most important thing to remember: if you have studied or are studying at:
- UNSW, the University of Sydney, or Macquarie (Sydney)
- the University of Melbourne, Monash, or RMIT Melbourne (Melbourne)
- the University of Queensland, QUT, or Griffith (Brisbane)
- the University of Western Australia, Curtin, or Murdoch (Perth)
you will not earn ASR points, no matter how many years you study.
Strategy for Those Planning to Study in Australia
If you are considering studying in Australia with settlement as a goal and want to make use of ASR points, here are some options worth considering:
Choose a provider in Adelaide or Hobart. The University of Adelaide, Flinders University, the University of South Australia (in Adelaide), and the University of Tasmania (in Hobart) are all eligible for ASR. These providers offer good quality and living costs are often lower than in Sydney or Melbourne.
Consider providers in Canberra. The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Canberra are located in Canberra, which counts as regional. ANU is one of Australia’s leading universities.
Regional providers with quality campuses. The University of Wollongong, the University of Newcastle, James Cook University (Townsville/Cairns), and Charles Darwin University (Darwin) are viable options.
ASR Points and the Subclass 491 Visa
ASR points are especially useful when combined with the subclass 491 visa — a regional provisional visa. The 491 already comes with 15 nomination points, and if you add 5 ASR points, the total bonus from “regional” factors can help you compete considerably better than the same profile lodging only a subclass 189 visa in a major city.
Studying in a regional area also helps you understand and become familiar with life outside a major city, which is useful if you go on to settle and work in regional areas as required by the 491 visa.