Study in Australia After 12th for Indian Students: 2027 Routes by Marks & Board

Study in Australia After 12th for Indian Students
Study in Australia After 12th for Indian Students

To study in Australia after 12th for Indian students, you have four routes for 2027. They are a direct bachelor’s degree, a pathway diploma into the degree’s second year, a foundation year, or a TAFE (Technical and Further Education) diploma. As of October 2026, the University of Melbourne takes only three boards on its Indian State Board Examinations list for direct entry: Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. If you sat the Telangana or Andhra Pradesh board, you can still study in Australia: other universities accept those boards directly.

Key Takeaways

  • At RMIT, a Business degree’s first year costs about AUD 76,750 (approx. INR 51.6 lakh): tuition plus AUD 29,710 (approx. INR 20 lakh) visa living money, before flights and health cover.
  • For 2027 entry, Melbourne asks a CBSE or ISC score of 90 for Commerce, up from 81.
  • Melbourne and UNSW take direct entry from only the Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka state boards.
  • Telangana and Andhra Pradesh board students can enter most Wollongong degrees directly from 65%.
  • School English can meet university rules, but if your visa needs English evidence, only a test score works.
  • The student visa (Subclass 500) charge is AUD 2,500 (approx. INR 1.68 lakh) from 1 July 2026.
  • Under-18s can go with a welfare arrangement and signed parental consent.
Table of Contents
Study in Australia after 12th: what your marks and board open in 2027 Scroll here ↓ Class 12 percentage and English requirements for 2027 entry Scroll here ↓ Diploma and foundation pathways into a bachelor’s degree, with 2027 fees Scroll here ↓ Applying for February or July 2027 after board results Scroll here ↓ Under-18 students: welfare arrangements and parental consent Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓

Study in Australia after 12th: what your marks and board open in 2027

Find your row, then read across.

CBSE and ISC students
Your Class 12 marksYour best routeWhere to applyYour next step
74% or moreStraight into a bachelor’s degreeUniversity of Melbourne (Arts from 74) or UNSW Sydney (Arts from 75 CBSE, 83 ISC)Apply now for February 2027
60% to 73%Straight into a bachelor’s degreeSwinburne (from 60%) or RMIT (from 65%)Check your course’s own bar, then apply
CBSE 55% to 59%, ISC 50% to 59%Diploma first, then Year 2 of the degreeMonash College (Arts, IT, or Science diploma)Pick the diploma that leads to your degree
CBSE below 55%, ISC below 50%Foundation year, judged case by caseDeakin CollegeAsk Deakin College to assess your marks
Aiming for medicineMedicine straight from schoolUNSW Sydney (CBSE 89, ISC 94, plus ISAT or UCAT ANZ) or Monash (ISAT 170 or more, plus an interview)Plan for 2028: Monash’s 2027 applications closed 30 June 2026
State-board students
Your board and marksYour best routeWhere to applyYour next step
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, or Karnataka, 75% or moreStraight into a bachelor’s degreeUniversity of Melbourne (Arts from 75) or UNSW Sydney (Arts from 84)Apply with your state-board marksheet
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, or Karnataka, 62% or moreStraight into a bachelor’s degreeSwinburne (from 62%), Wollongong (most degrees from 65%), or RMIT (from 70%)Apply direct; Melbourne and UNSW don’t take Telangana or AP
Any other state board, 62% or more (Haryana and Punjab: 65%)Straight into a bachelor’s degreeSwinburne (from 62%), Wollongong, or RMIT (both from 70%)Apply direct
Any state board, 45% or more but below your degree’s barDiploma first, then the degreeDeakin College diploma (from 60%), RMIT diploma (from 65%), or Wollongong 3-session diploma (from 45%)Below 45%: ask Deakin College about its foundation year, offered case by case

Melbourne’s course score is the average of your best four Class 12 subjects; UNSW’s, for CBSE, averages English or Hindi with your best four other board-exam subjects. Melbourne and UNSW’s bars above are for Arts; Commerce asks more. Wollongong‘s 65% and 70% cover most degrees, while Economics, Finance, Social Work, and Law ask more. Monash College asks 66% (ISC 60%) for its Business, Engineering, and Psychology diplomas, and Swinburne and RMIT set higher bars for some courses. Our Australian universities shortlist compares other options, and our study in Australia consultants in Hyderabad can check your board and marks against each bar.

Courses to study in Australia after 12th for Indian students usually follow the stream: science students apply for engineering, IT, or science degrees, commerce students for business or commerce, and arts students for arts or design. Our top courses in Australia guide ranks fields by graduate job rate, and in-demand courses in Australia shows which are on the shortage list. At Melbourne, the required Class 12 subjects are:

  • Commerce: English and Mathematics.
  • Science: English, Mathematics, and one of Biology, Chemistry, or Physics.
  • Arts and Design: English only, so arts students, and commerce students without Maths, can apply for these.

Class 12 percentage and English requirements for 2027 entry

For 2027 entry, most of the University of Melbourne’s course scores rose. Science now needs a CBSE or ISC score of 85, up from 75 for 2026 entry, in its CBSE and ISC entry guide. Plan with the 2027 numbers below; last year’s cut-off lists are too low for most courses.

Degree (2027 entry)UniversityCBSE course scoreISC course score
Bachelor of CommerceMelbourne9090
Bachelor of CommerceUNSW8592
Bachelor of ScienceMelbourne8585
Bachelor of ScienceUNSW7583

UNSW’s 2027 entry table calls its numbers a guide only; actual requirements may be higher or lower. Students from the accepted state boards need more for Commerce: 93 at Melbourne and 98 at UNSW.

For 2027 entry, UNSW adds 5 points to an International ATAR (Australia’s university-entry rank) of 75 or more, though not for medicine. UNSW adds them itself, so don’t add 5 to the table scores. Every Indian student starting in 2026 or 2027 is eligible for 20% off tuition for each year of the course through UNSW’s International Student Award, UNSW College diplomas included.

In 2026, UNSW’s English language requirements accept CBSE English Core at grade C1 or better (B2 for Business) or ISC English at 70% (80% for Business), but not for medicine, Education, or most Law degrees. At Melbourne, a pass in CBSE or ISC English is enough. If you use a test score at Melbourne instead, its BA, BCom, and BSc ask IELTS Academic 6.5, with 6.0 in each of the four parts. Aim for that score, not the lower visa minimum below. Our requirements to study in Australia guide covers other entry rules.

  • For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, the Subclass 500 visa needs at least IELTS Academic 6.0. The visa minimum drops to 5.5 with a foundation course, an eligible pathway program, or 10 or more weeks of ELICOS (English courses for overseas students).
  • Indian schooling isn’t on the visa’s list of English exemptions, so a university waiver doesn’t count for the visa. If your visa needs English evidence, only a test score works, so book one anyway.

Diploma and foundation pathways into a bachelor’s degree, with 2027 fees

A pathway diploma lowers the marks you need, not the money. At 2026 rates, indicative for 2027, Monash College's Business diploma costs an annual average of AUD 46,000 (approx. INR 30.9 lakh) for Part 2, the stage Class 12 students join, in the Monash Pathway Programs 2027 guide. Pass it to join the bachelor's degree in Year 2.

PathwayLeads toIntakesFee (AUD, approx. INR)Fee covers
Monash College Diploma, Business (Part 2 entry)Monash bachelor’s, Year 2February, June, OctoberAUD 46,000 (INR 30.9 lakh)Part 2 annual average, 2026 rate
UNSW College Standard FoundationUNSW bachelor’s, Year 1April, OctoberAUD 43,650 (INR 29.4 lakh)Whole 9-month course, 2027
RMIT Foundation StudiesRMIT bachelor’s, Year 1January, JulyAUD 34,250 (INR 23.0 lakh)Whole 1-year course, 2027
TAFE Queensland Diploma of Information TechnologyJob or university27 January, 12 July 2027AUD 23,000 (INR 15.5 lakh)Whole 1-year course, 2027

All INR conversions use the live Google-published rate captured on 2026-10-08: AUD 1 ≈ INR 67.26. Rates fluctuate intraday; figures are indicative.

Pass the diploma at the grade the university sets, and credit transfer (advanced standing) counts it as your degree’s first year.

If the college sells the diploma and degree as one packaged course, two visa rules apply:

  • You get a separate enrolment letter for each course, called a CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment). The gap between the two courses must be under two calendar months, unless the gap is the normal end-of-year break.
  • Apply for your first visa from India: since 2 October 2026, most student visa applications must be made outside Australia. The exception: if your degree isn’t on the same visa, you can apply for it after finishing a foundation course or diploma from inside Australia.

UNSW College’s Business diploma has an indicative 2027 fee of AUD 55,620, more than a year of RMIT’s Bachelor of Business at AUD 47,040. Price the full degree in our cost of studying in Australia guide.

Applying for February or July 2027 after board results

Priya passed CBSE Class 12 this May; Arjun sits his boards in March 2027. July suits anyone still in Class 12.

Priya can still make February 2027: for 2027 entry, UNSW sends Term 1 offers from September to January. RMIT’s orientation runs 22 to 26 February 2027 and classes start on 1 March, in its 2027 higher education important dates. Arjun plans backwards from July 2027:

  1. By December 2026: shortlist three or four courses that accept your board.
  2. January to March 2027: book IELTS Academic or PTE Academic at a test centre.
  3. Results day: send your marksheet at once, then accept your offer.
  4. Late May to June: pay the deposit, receive your CoE, and apply for the visa from India.
  5. July: RMIT’s mid-year orientation runs 12 to 16 July and Semester 2 classes begin 19 July 2027.

CBSE results came out on 13 May in 2026, so have everything except the marksheet ready by April. If you miss February, the pathway courses above also start later in 2027; our Australia intakes guide lists dates at other universities.

From 1 July 2026, the Student Visa Application Charge is AUD 2,500. When you apply, you need a full-time course on the government’s approved list for overseas students (CRICOS) and your CoE. You must also hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), unless exempt. Parents: for 2026, the money you must show for a Subclass 500 visa is AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs, plus first-year fees and travel. Instead of savings, show your parents earned at least AUD 87,856 in the 12 months before you apply; if both work, Home Affairs can consider their combined income. Prove it with official government documents such as tax assessments less than 12 months old, not bank statements or an employer letter.

Budget for the whole degree: a bachelor’s degree in Australia takes three to five years, depending on the degree, and honours usually adds one year after a three-year degree. Our Australia student visa guide walks through the file.

From our counselling desk: Every school-leaver file our Hyderabad team got through smoothly this year used its Genuine Student answers to show how the course leads to a job in India.

You do not need to be 18 to study in Australia. In 2026, the Subclass 500 Student visa requires you to be 6 years or older, with a welfare arrangement if you are under 18. So a 17-year-old Class 12 leaver can start in 2027, as long as approved care is in place before arrival.

Under the welfare and custody arrangements for students under 18, pick one:

  • CAAW (Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare): your college or university approves your housing and care.
  • Nominated guardian: a parent or custodian, or a relative aged 21 or older whom a parent nominates in writing.

A CAAW must cover your whole course plus 7 days, or run until you turn 18, and you can’t arrive before it starts. If you turn 18 before you land, you don’t need one: attach a guardian form (Form 157N) with questions 1 to 8 filled in and signed by a parent. Either way, your parents sign a consent form, Form 1229.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, at Monash and UNSW. Monash asks for an ISAT (International Student Admissions Test) score of at least 170, with at least 165 in both sections, but only 2027 applicants scoring 178 or above got an interview. The 5-year Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine costs AUD 101,600 (approx. INR 68.3 lakh) a year at 2026 rates.

For the university, often yes: CBSE or ISC English can meet entry rules at UNSW and Melbourne. A university waiver doesn’t count for the visa: if your visa needs English evidence, only a test score works. Book one at a test centre, because in 2026 fully online or at-home tests, such as IELTS Online, don’t count.

In 2026, a Student visa lets you work up to 48 hours every two weeks while your course is in session. The money you show for the visa still has to cover living costs before you leave India, so plan the money first and the job second.

In 2026, the Subclass 485 graduate visa lets Indian students who finish an Australian bachelor’s stay and work for 2 years, or 3 with first-class honours in science, technology, engineering, maths, or IT. Apply within 6 months of finishing. The Subclass 485 charge is from AUD 5,750 (approx. INR 3.87 lakh). Our post-study work visa guide covers the rest.

Not on your visa: a parent can’t be added to your Student visa application as a family member. If you’re under 18, a parent can apply for a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) as your nominated guardian, and both applications should be made at the same time.

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