Victorian Government Schools（维多利亚州政府中小学）is the public school system of the Australian state of Victoria, operated by the Department of Education. International students enter through the state’s International Student Program (ISP), which handles enrolment centrally across the whole network rather than school by school. This guide covers the programs on offer, who can apply, what it costs in the 2026 schedule, and how the application and welfare process works. Every fact below comes from official Victorian Government Schools and Department of Education pages accessed on August 6, 2026; the Study Victoria live pages are protected by Cloudflare, so figures were verified against archived official copies of the same URLs. All dollar amounts are Australian dollars and should be re-checked against the latest official version before you budget.
About Victorian Government Schools
Victorian Government Schoolscover primary education for ages 5 to 12 (Prep to Grade 6) and secondary education for ages 12 to 18 (Years 7 to 12), with schools across Melbourne and regional Victoria. The system is registered with CRICOS under the provider name Department of Education, code 00861K, with courses for Primary (Prep to Year 6), Secondary (7-12) and the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary Course (7-12). Not every government school may take international students: only schools on the department’s accredited lists are allowed, and the current lists (October 2024 edition) name 122 secondary schools and 101 primary schools. Within the network, the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School is a specialist setting with its own fee scale. The system also runs its own English Language Centres (ELCs) for students who need English support before entering mainstream classes.
Programs and Year Levels
Victorian Government Schools follow the Victorian curriculum from Prep to Year 12, and international students can enter at primary or secondary level. The main program for long-stay students is the Standard program: students holding a subclass 500 Student (Schools) visa, usually studying for more than 12 months to complete the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or the VCE Vocational Major (VM). For shorter stays, the Study Abroad program offers 3, 6, 9 or 12 months in Years 9 to 12 only, without a VCE or ATAR award. Two further categories exist: Dependant students, who join a parent studying or working in Victoria, and Temporary students, who may study up to 12 weeks on a visitor (subclass 600) visa or a bridging visa. In Years 11 and 12, students choose between the VCE (with an ATAR for university entry) and the VCE VM (an applied-learning stream), and may also pick VCE VET vocational subjects, which carry separate fees. English as an Additional Language (EAL) is available at senior levels, and newcomers can start in an English Language Centre before mainstream classes.
Entry Requirements
Entry to Victorian Government Schools depends first on visa category, then on age and English. Standard students apply with a subclass 500 Student (Schools) visa or a 571 Schools Sector visa and typically plan a stay of more than 12 months. Age and accommodation are tied together: students under 15 must live with a parent, legal guardian or a relative approved by the Department of Home Affairs, and homestay is only available to students 15 and over. Students under 18 whose welfare is arranged by the department receive a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) letter. There is no single minimum English score; the official rule is conditional: a student without two years of English-medium schooling and without a usable English test result must first complete at least 20 weeks of English language tuition. Two year-level rules also apply: a student cannot skip an entire year level, and must complete at least half of the current academic year before moving up. Fee liability is decided by visa subclass, and schools check the visa grant notice to confirm it.
Application Process and Support
Applications to Victorian Government Schools run through a published ten-step process: prepare and read the written agreement, submit the application, receive acknowledgement, receive the Letter of Offer and Written Agreement, return the signed agreement, receive an invoice, pay, receive the Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), apply for the student visa, and arrange arrival information. The official standard application form asks families to list at least 5 preferred schools, and Year 11 applicants must also state preferred subjects. Before enrolment can start, fee-paying students must complete their ISP registration and pay in advance; under the ESOS Act, pre-paid tuition before the course starts cannot exceed 50% of the total (unless the course is 25 weeks or less). Overseas Student Health Cover(OSHC) is required for the duration of the visa and must be in place before arrival, with evidence provided before the CoE is issued; the official fee page quotes Medibank Private OSHC from AUD 675 per year as a guide. Applications received after the submission date are held until the following term, so the dates below matter.
Application Deadlines for 2026 and 2027
The official submission dates for Victorian Government Schools apply per term. For the 2026 school year, Term 3 (classes from 13 July 2026) closed to applications on 3 April 2026, and Term 4 (classes from 5 October 2026) closes on 26 June 2026. For 2027: Term 1 (from 27 January 2027) closes 16 October 2026; Term 2 (from 12 April 2027) closes 8 January 2027; Term 3 (from 12 July 2027) closes 2 April 2027; and Term 4 (from 4 October 2027) closes 25 June 2027. Temporary student applications have later deadlines because of visa processing timeframes. Working backwards from the target term, families should allow four to six months for the offer, payment, CoE and visa steps, plus extra time for an English Language Centre placement if needed. The 2026 term dates are: Term 1, 27 January to 2 April; Term 2, 20 April to 26 June; Term 3, 13 July to 18 September; Term 4, 5 October to 18 December.
Tuition and Other Costs (2026)
Tuition for Victorian Government Schools is set centrally by the department, not by individual schools. The official 2026 schedule sets annual tuition at AUD 16,000 for primary (Prep to Grade 6), AUD 19,600 for junior secondary (Years 7-10) and AUD 22,000 for senior secondary (Years 11-12); the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School charges AUD 26,600 and AUD 29,850 for the same bands. VCE VET subjects add AUD 49 to AUD 1,739 per subject per year in tuition plus AUD 60 to AUD 950 in material fees. Non-tuition fees in the 2026 schedule include an application fee of AUD 300, arrival support AUD 220, accommodation placement AUD 352, school transfer AUD 750, enrolment amendment AUD 300, and default and refund administration fees of AUD 500 each. Homestay runs at AUD 370 to AUD 500 per week depending on the family and location, while the cost-of-living page quotes AUD 330 to AUD 460 per week for seven nights with three meals a day. Annual extras to plan for: uniforms AUD 600 to AUD 1,200 every 1-2 years, camps AUD 400 to AUD 1,000, excursions AUD 50 to AUD 250, textbooks and stationery AUD 400 to AUD 700, electronic devices AUD 500 to AUD 1,500 every 2-3 years, and VCE/VCE VM exam fees AUD 80 to AUD 500.
Accommodation and Student Welfare
Accommodation for international students at Victorian Government Schools follows four official options. Option one: live with a parent or legal guardian in Victoria, which is mandatory for all students under 15 and those with additional needs. Option two: live with a relative approved by the Department of Home Affairs(aged over 21, in a specified family relationship). Option three: a parent-nominated homestay with a close family friend or relative, requiring a Working with Children Check, for students 15 and over. Option four: a school-arranged homestay, also for students 15 and over, where the school selects the family, runs child-safe screening, visits regularly and arranges Working with Children Checks for everyone 18 and over in the household. Homestay families offer a private room with bed, desk and chair, and full board. Schools invite parents in Australia to at least two parent meetings a year, and overseas parents can request phone meetings or translated reports. Welfare requirements are strict: under-18 students cannot receive a student visa until welfare arrangements are confirmed, and attendance below 80% in a term is reported to the Department of Home Affairs, with doctor-certified sick leave below 70% as the trigger.
Final Checklist and Next Steps
Before applying to Victorian Government Schools, work through this checklist: confirm the child’s age fits the intended year level and the visa category (Standard, Study Abroad, Dependant or Temporary); check that the accommodation rule is met, since under-15s cannot use homestay; verify the English path, allowing at least 20 weeks of language tuition if needed; budget against the 2026 schedule, remembering fees are reviewed annually; arrange Overseas Student Health Coverbefore arrival; and mark the submission date for the intended term. Confirm the school is on the accredited list before applying, since grey-listed schools are not taking new international enrolments. All facts in this guide come from official Victorian Government Schools and Department of Education pages as of August 6, 2026, and the official website remains the authority if anything changes. For personalised help deciding which year level and program fit your child, and sequencing the application, speak with our study-abroad advisers.