Australia Intakes for Indian Students: 2027 Dates, Deadlines & Which to Choose

Australia Intakes for Indian Students
Australia Intakes for Indian Students

For 2027 entry, Australian universities typically run two main intakes: Semester 1, starting in late February or early March, and Semester 2, starting in mid-July. Some universities, like RMIT, add a third intake from September to November for specific courses. The worry we hear most about Australia intakes for Indian students is whether February 2027 is already too late. It isn’t, but you now have weeks left, not months. Several universities close Semester 1 applications between 30 November and 18 December 2026. Below are 2027 dates for 11 universities, the intake that fits your results, and a plan that works back from your first class.

Key Takeaways

  • Graduates starting February 2027: apply now. ANU closes most courses on 15 December 2026 (Crawford School: 31 October), Sydney postgraduate on 18 December 2026.
  • Class 12 students aiming for February 2027: Melbourne closes direct applications on 30 November 2026, Sydney on 1 December 2026.
  • Final-year bachelor’s students: target July 2027; ANU closes Semester 2 on 15 May 2027.
  • Missed February? July 2027 is the other main intake; first-time visa applicants should skip a late-2026 start.
  • Deakin, Adelaide University and Melbourne (if you’ve studied beyond school in India) take Indian students only through an agent.
  • Visa charge: AUD 2,500 (approx. INR 1.68 lakh); living costs to show: AUD 29,710 (approx. INR 20 lakh) a year, on top of fees and travel.
Table of Contents
Australia’s February, July and September to November intakes compared Scroll here ↓ 2027 intake dates at major Australian universities Scroll here ↓ Australia intake deadlines: a working-backwards plan for February and July 2027 Scroll here ↓ Visa charge, funds and CoE to have ready before you apply for the visa Scroll here ↓ Missed your intake? Deferral, the next start and what is still open in 2026 Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓ Choosing your Australia intake for 2027 Scroll here ↓

Australia’s February, July and September to November intakes compared

Choose by when your results land; the table matches each intake to the student it suits. At some universities, a third intake runs from 13 September 2027, when Term 3 opens on the UNSW 2027 academic calendar, to 1 November 2027, when Deakin’s third trimester starts.

IntakeTypical 2027 startWho it suitsApply by
February-March (Semester 1)15 Feb to 1 Mar 2027Results and English score already in hand31 Oct to 18 Dec 2026
Mid-year (Semester 2)31 May (UNSW) to 2 Aug 2027Final-year students with results due mid-2027Mid-Apr to end of May 2027
September-November (third intake)13 Sep to 1 Nov 2027Students whose course runs only then (specific courses)Varies by university and course

For Australia intakes for Indian students, pick the intake first and the university second. Start from the month your results and English score will be ready, then shortlist universities that start in that intake. A July start you make beats a February start you miss. February usually has the widest choice of courses and more scholarships than July. At RMIT, every course runs in Semester 1; typically not all run mid-year. If you need a scholarship or a less common course, aim for February; for July, check that your course runs mid-year first. Our guide to studying in Australia covers the courses and cities that come next.

Your offer letter may not say “semester”. Deakin and Griffith run trimesters (three teaching periods a year instead of two), and UNSW runs three shorter terms, but the months still match the table. If you’re in Class 12, see which Australian courses you can take after Class 12.

2027 intake dates at major Australian universities

1 March 2027 is the most common Semester 1 start at major Australian universities, shared by RMIT, Melbourne, Monash, Deakin and Griffith. Mid-year starts run from 31 May at UNSW, whose Term 2 starts early, to 2 August, the date on Adelaide University's 2027 academic calendar. Plan your visa and flights around your own university's date, not an average.

  • Feb/Mar 2027 starts: 15 February at UNSW (Term 1) and UTS (University of Technology Sydney); 22 February at UQ (University of Queensland) and Adelaide University; 1 March at RMIT, Melbourne, Monash, Deakin (Trimester 1) and Griffith (Trimester 1).
  • Mid-2027 starts: 31 May at UNSW (Term 2); 5 July at Deakin (Trimester 2); 19 July at RMIT; 26 July at Melbourne, Monash, UQ and UTS; 2 August at Adelaide University.

These universities set a fixed or advised closing date:

Postgraduate
UniversityApplies toFeb/Mar 2027 intakeMid-2027 intake
University of SydneyPostgraduate18 Dec 202629 May 2027
Australian National University (ANU)Most courses15 Dec 202615 May 2027
ANU Crawford SchoolCrawford School courses only31 Oct 202615 Apr 2027
Griffith UniversityAll coursesMid-Nov 2026Mid-Apr 2027
Undergraduate
UniversityFeb/Mar 2027 intakeMid-2027 intake
University of Melbourne (applying directly)30 Nov 202631 May 2027
University of Sydney1 Dec 202629 May 2027
Australian National University (ANU), most courses15 Dec 202615 May 2027
Griffith UniversityMid-Nov 2026Mid-Apr 2027

Griffith accepts applications all year, so its dates are advice, not a hard close. Monash, UQ, UNSW and Deakin set no single closing date. Monash takes taught master’s applications all year with dates set by faculty, and UQ sets dates by program and country. UNSW sends offers every week to applicants from countries on its International Student Award list, and India is on that list, so you are not waiting for a fixed offer round.

Deakin and Adelaide University take Indian students only through an education agent. If you’ve already studied beyond school in India, Melbourne also wants you to apply through an authorised agent; Class 12 students applying for a bachelor’s can apply directly. Adelaide University is the merged University of Adelaide and UniSA (University of South Australia), open since 1 January 2026, so search for the new name.

Australia intake deadlines: a working-backwards plan for February and July 2027

Take Sneha, a Hyderabad BTech graduate with a PTE score, aiming for ANU in Semester 1 2027, which closes on 15 December 2026. Her plan, working back:

StepFeb/Mar 2027 startJuly 2027 start
1. Shortlist, book English testNow (Oct 2026)Jan to Feb 2027
2. Apply, get a conditional offerOct to early Dec 2026Feb to Apr 2027
3. Meet conditions, pay deposit, get your CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment)Dec 2026 to Jan 2027Apr to May 2027
4. Buy OSHC (student health cover), submit your visa applicationWeek the CoE arrivesWeek the CoE arrives
5. Book flightsAfter visa grantAfter visa grant
6. Classes startLate Feb to early Mar 2027Mid-year 2027

You can’t submit a student visa application until you have your CoE, your university’s official record that you’re enrolled. At UNSW, you’re asked to submit the visa application as soon as the CoE arrives. With a conditional offer (a place that becomes final once you meet set conditions, such as a final mark), you reach step 3 only once you send the missing document.

At RMIT, if you need a student visa, apply and accept your offer at least four weeks before your course starts. Start your statement of purpose (SOP) and housing search during step 2, and follow the step-by-step Australia admission process.

One timing tip: Home Affairs, Australia’s visa department, starts on files sooner while your university is below 80% of the yearly number of new international students the government set for it. Files submitted from 15 November count against the next year’s number under Home Affairs’ student visa processing priorities. So if your CoE arrives in early November, ask your university’s international office: should I submit now, or wait until 15 November? Either way, this changes how fast your file is opened, not whether you get the visa.

From our counselling desk: Across our Hyderabad and Tirupati desks, students who miss an intake have usually been waiting on a result or an English score.

Visa charge, funds and CoE to have ready before you apply for the visa

AUD 2,500 (approx. INR 1.68 lakh) is the Student Visa Application Charge from 1 July 2026, up from AUD 2,000. It’s the one-off fee for your Student visa (subclass 500) application, Australia’s visa for full-time study. You can’t submit without your CoE, so this money has to be ready by the time your CoE arrives, not after.

The full list of documents for an Australian student visa is longer; these six decide your timing:

  • Your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), which must still be valid when your Student visa (subclass 500) is decided. If your CoE changes while the visa is being assessed, attach the new one in ImmiAccount (your online visa account) straight away.
  • Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), the health insurance every student visa holder must hold unless exempt.
  • Health exams, if you need them: you can do them before you apply.
  • Proof that you can cover a year of living costs and course fees, plus travel (the figures are below).
  • Answers for the Genuine Student requirement (visa-form questions that check you really intend to study), which our Australian student visa guide walks through.
  • An English score that meets the visa minimum and your university’s entry score (see the FAQ).

Parents, this is your number: you must show AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs, plus your travel and 12 months of course fees. Instead, you can show that your parents or your partner had a personal annual income of at least AUD 87,856 in the 12 months before you apply. If both parents work, Home Affairs can consider their combined income. Compare that total with your HDFC Credila, Avanse or SBI loan offer before you borrow. Our cost of studying in Australia breakdown covers tuition.

Missed your intake? Deferral, the next start and what is still open in 2026

Missing February does not cost you a year: July 2027 is the other main intake. If you hoped to start in 2026, RMIT, Deakin and Griffith still list late-2026 starts:

For a first-time visa applicant, an October or November 2026 start is too tight, because the offer, the CoE and the visa all have to come through within weeks. When families ask us which Australia intakes for Indian students are still realistic this late, we usually advise aiming for February 2027. If you defer, or your start slips:

  • Deferring at RMIT moves you to the next available intake with a new offer and no fee; ask for it before the last day to enrol.
  • Missing RMIT’s enrolment deadline is worse: your CoE is cancelled and you must apply again.
  • You’ll generally land at least one week to one month before classes. Start your OSHC on the day you arrive, not the first day of classes.

Get in Touch

Frequently Asked Questions

Typically two: Semester 1 in late February or early March, and Semester 2 in mid-July. Some universities add a third start later in the year for specific courses. July usually runs fewer courses than February, so check that yours runs then. Our guide to master’s degrees in Australia helps with course choice.

No, if you apply in the next few weeks. Several Semester 1 rounds close between late November and 18 December 2026. If you’re overseas, ANU gives you until 15 January 2027 to accept an offer. You can only apply for the visa once your CoE arrives, so aim to hold it by early January.

Yes. Apply between February and April 2027 with your marks so far. A university can make you a conditional offer, which becomes final once you send your degree result. That keeps a July start realistic even if your results arrive in May or June.

Yes. For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, the Student visa English rules accept PTE Academic 47, TOEFL iBT 67 or IELTS Academic 6.0. Since 21 January 2026, select “Taking TOEFL for Australia” when you book, or the score isn’t valid for the visa. Universities can ask for more: see the entry requirements for Australian universities.

No. India is not on the current Australia Awards participating countries list, so these scholarships are not open to Indian citizens now. University awards are the realistic route; our roundup of Australia scholarships lists them. Check each award’s own closing date against your intake before you apply.

Choosing your Australia intake for 2027

Book your English test this month: every other date on your plan waits on that score. Still choosing a field? Our top courses in Australia guide ranks ten by graduate job rate.

Ardent Overseas brings 10+ years of experience and 12,000+ visas across the countries we counsel for, from offices in Hyderabad and Tirupati. For Australia, our study in Australia consultants in Hyderabad cover choosing the intake, applying for offers, meeting offer conditions to get the CoE, and building the Student visa file.

Everything you need to study abroad, in one place.

Explore articles and guides that help you prepare with confidence, covering scholarship applications, financial planning, and tips for adapting to a new culture. We have built comprehensive resources to get you ready for your educational adventure.

See other Study guides