Cut The Cost of Studying Overseas

With the Global Financial Crisis still putting the squeeze on job vacancies, it’s never been more important to invest in a top quality education.

Employers are now in a position where they can pick and choose, selecting only the very best applicants available – and that means you’re going to need to stand out from the crowd.

Having qualifications from a top tier university will certainly help – as will those added extras like international experience.

But how do you pay for it all?

The Canada Student Loan Program offers financial support for eligible students wishing to study overseas at an approved educational institution.

Australia’s Bond University is one such institution that is particularly popular with Canadian students due to its fast-tracked timetable.

Unlike most other Australian universities, Bond runs three full semesters per year with intakes in May, June and September so you can start your degree at the end of the summer break.

This system also means that you can complete a standard 24-subject undergraduate degree in just two years. In Australia, there is no requirement for the one year of General Education – in other words, a two-year degree from Bond is equivalent to a four-year degree from a Canadian university.

Reducing your living expenses by half obviously represents a sizeable saving on the overall cost of your university degree. The savings increase even more when you consider that you’ll be out in the workforce earning $40,000 or more per annum up to two years before your Canadian colleagues even think about looking for a job.

Off-setting the cost of your university degree even further, Bond offers a number of scholarships and bursaries for international students, including international student scholarships of up to $CAD75,000 ($AUD80,000) - one of the highest valued scholarships in Australia.

Living expenses bursaries are also available to international students, valued at up to $CAD7,100 ($AUD7,500) per annum for the first two years of study – a total of $CAD14,200 ($AUD15,000).

For more information on the funding options available at Bond University, go to www.bond.edu.au/financing-your-study or www.bond.edu.au/scholarships and for information on the Canada Student Loan Program, go to www.canlearn.ca.